Hut site, Duagh, Co. Kerry
Co. Kerry |
Settlement Sites
On a north-facing slope in Duagh, overlooking Tralee Bay, a small oval enclosure sits on a natural terrace in rough grazing land, half-swallowed by bracken and briars.
It is easy to walk past without registering what it is, but the low stone wall, built with an earth matrix and still standing to around 0.8 metres, outlines a space that was once deliberately constructed and used. The enclosure measures roughly 6.6 metres north to south and 7.7 metres east to west, oriented along an east-west axis, and it has survived largely intact despite the vegetation slowly pressing in around it.
What makes this site particularly interesting is the structure within the structure. Tucked against the western end of the enclosure's interior is a small circular hut site, with a diameter of approximately 2.4 metres and a narrow entrance, just 0.6 metres wide, facing to the south-east. This nesting of a circular hut inside a larger oval enclosure is a arrangement found at early medieval sites across Ireland, where a surrounding wall or bawn provided a degree of shelter and definition to a modest dwelling within. The south-east-facing entrance is a recurring feature in early Irish vernacular building, thought to offer some protection from prevailing westerly winds while capturing morning light. A second hut site has been recorded around 18 metres to the south-east, suggesting this was not an isolated structure but part of a small cluster of occupation on the hillside.