Hut site, Bunbinnia, Co. Kerry
Co. Kerry |
Settlement Sites
On a steep, north-east-facing slope above Lough Reagh in south-west Kerry, a low grass-covered ring sits in rough pasture on a natural terrace, barely legible against the hillside unless you are already looking for it.
This is a circular hut site, a type of ancient enclosure formed by a low earthen or stone bank that once defined the outer wall or foundation of a simple dwelling. The bank here measures roughly 1.2 metres wide and just 0.4 metres high, enclosing a roughly circular space about 6.8 metres east to west and 6.1 metres north to south. At that scale, the interior would have been modest, a single room by any measure.
What gives this particular site a quiet coherence is its setting in relation to the landscape around it. It sits beside an old track that runs down into the valley below, suggesting it was not simply a remote shelter but occupied a position along a route that people used regularly. The terrace itself is a natural feature of the slope rather than anything constructed, which points to whoever chose this spot making a practical decision, a level foothold on otherwise difficult ground, with Lough Reagh visible from the slope above. Hut sites of this type are found across Kerry and the wider Irish uplands, and while they are difficult to date without excavation, many are associated with seasonal or marginal land use, possibly connected to the movement of livestock to higher pastures during summer months, a practice known in Ireland as booleying.