Hut site, Garryknock, Co. Wicklow
Co. Wicklow |
Settlement Sites
On a south-facing slope of rough commonage in County Wicklow, a low rectangular enclosure sits just three metres from its nearest neighbour, one of five such structures scattered close enough together to suggest they were never meant to stand alone.
The cluster at Garryknock is easy to overlook; the banks have sunk to half a metre in height and grass has long since softened whatever edges once defined the place. But the grouping itself is the thing worth attending to.
This particular hut site measures roughly four metres north to south and just over three metres east to west, enclosed by a grassy bank that is faced with boulders in places and runs about a metre wide. A narrow gap at the south-south-east, approximately half a metre across, marks what may have been the entrance, and a small possible annex extends southward from the main enclosure. Hut sites of this kind, simple single-roomed structures defined by low earthen or stone banks rather than standing walls, are found across upland Ireland and are generally associated with seasonal pastoral activity, farmers moving livestock to higher ground in summer months, a practice known in Ireland as booleying. The tight clustering at Garryknock would fit that pattern, suggesting a community of people working the commonage together rather than isolated individuals.