Hut site, Knockanruddig, Co. Kerry

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Settlement Sites

Hut site, Knockanruddig, Co. Kerry

On a level terrace in the Knockanruddig uplands near Kilgarvan, a small circular mound of loose drystones sits largely swallowed by vegetation.

It is easy to miss, and for a long time it was. The mound, roughly five metres across, surrounds a central hollow, and flat slabs lying within that depression most likely represent a roof that collapsed inward long ago. A gap on the eastern side of the stone perimeter is probably where an entrance once stood. A single upright stone, about 0.7 metres tall, abuts the structure on its north side. Higher ground rises to the southwest, and the site looks out over wide, open views to the north and northeast, a position that would have made practical sense to whoever built and used it.

The site was entirely unknown until relatively recently. It came to light during pre-development survey work carried out by John Cronin and Associates ahead of a wind farm project in the area by ESB Wind Development Ltd, under archaeological licence number 16E0127. That kind of infrastructure survey, unglamorous as it sounds, has a long record of bringing unrecorded sites into view. Hut sites of this type, simple drysone structures built without mortar, are found across the Irish uplands and are notoriously difficult to date without excavation. They could represent seasonal shelters used by herders moving cattle to summer pasture, a practice known as booleying, or they may have served other short-term purposes over many centuries. The collapsed roof material and the modest internal dimensions, just under two metres across inside, suggest a functional rather than permanent dwelling.

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Pete F
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