Hut site, Cloonlumney, Co. Mayo

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Settlement Sites

Hut site, Cloonlumney, Co. Mayo

Inside a rath in Cloonlumney, a low, sod-covered platform sits quietly bisected by a modern field fence, its true shape still a matter of some uncertainty.

The platform measures roughly 8.5 metres north to south and 4 metres east to west, presenting a D-shaped profile where visible, though the fence cuts directly across it and dense overgrowth on the western side has made it impossible to confirm whether the full outline is actually circular. A rath, broadly speaking, is a type of enclosed farmstead dating from the early medieval period in Ireland, typically defined by earthen banks and ditches; finding traces of domestic structures within one is not unusual, but this particular feature carries an added layer of ambiguity that makes it quietly interesting.

The platform sits roughly in the centre of the eastern half of the rath, abutting the eastern side of the dividing fence. It is defined by a low, curving scarp with a slope width of about 1.2 metres and a maximum height of 0.45 metres, with stones incorporated along its top and sides. What it actually represents is not settled. It may be the remains of a house or hut, the low earthen shelf being all that survives of a structure that once stood within the enclosure. Alternatively, it may mark the position of a souterrain, an underground passage or chamber often associated with raths and used for storage or refuge, which appears on the 1837 six-inch Ordnance Survey map as a circular feature in the northern half of the rath. The map evidence and the physical remains do not map onto each other in any straightforward way, leaving the question open.

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Pete F
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