Hut site, Gleann Fán, Co. Kerry

Co. Kerry |

Settlement Sites

Hut site, Gleann Fán, Co. Kerry

On the lower southern slopes of Mount Eagle in County Kerry, the remains of a circular drystone hut sit in a state of near-dissolution.

Drystone construction means exactly what it sounds like: stones laid without mortar, relying entirely on careful placement and weight to hold their form. Over centuries, such structures can quietly collapse back into the landscape, becoming almost indistinguishable from natural scatter, and this one is well along that path.

Documented by Judith Cuppage in 1986, the structure measured approximately five metres in diameter and still stood to a height of around 1.1 metres at the time of recording, though even then it was described as very poorly preserved. Hut sites of this type are found across the Dingle Peninsula and broader Kerry uplands, and while it is not always possible to date them precisely without excavation, they are generally associated with early medieval or prehistoric settlement and land use, when communities grazed animals on higher ground and built simple shelters accordingly. Gleann Fán sits within a landscape exceptionally dense with such remains, and this particular structure is one small, battered piece of a much larger pattern of early occupation on and around Mount Eagle.

Rated 0 out of 5

Visitor Notes

Review type for post source and places source type not found
Added by
Picture of Pete F
Pete F
IrishHistory.com is passionate about helping people discover and connect with the rich stories of their local communities.
Please use the form below to submit any photos you may have of Hut site, Gleann Fán, Co. Kerry. We're happy to take any suggested edits you may have too. Please be advised it will take us some time to get to these submissions. Thank you.
Name
Email
Message
Upload images/documents
Maximum file size: 100 MB
If you'd like to add an image or a PDF please do it here.

Advertisement