Hut site, Knocknascrow, Co. Limerick

Co. Limerick |

Settlement Sites

Hut site, Knocknascrow, Co. Limerick

On a steep hillside in County Limerick, someone went to considerable trouble to carve a level platform out of the slope before building anything at all.

That preparation, the deliberate cutting of a shelf into the hillside, is what makes this small rectangular structure at Knocknascrow quietly arresting. The hut sits oriented northwest to southeast, looking out over the Geeragh stream roughly 150 metres to the west, a watercourse that also marks the old boundary between Knocknascrow and the neighbouring townland of Anglesborough.

The structure was already recorded when the Ordnance Survey produced its first six-inch map of the area in 1840, and it has appeared on subsequent editions. What survives today, catalogued as Knocknascrow 2 by researcher Dr Eugene Costello, is a rectangular enclosure measuring roughly 7.66 by 5.1 metres externally, with walls of coursed earth and stone averaging about half a metre in height and 0.65 metres thick. The entrance, 0.8 metres wide, is set into the south side wall. The east end wall is the best preserved, still standing to an external height of 0.7 metres, while the north and west walls have weathered lower. Inside, foundation stones near the west end hint at a possible internal partition. Attached to the southeast corner is a small, badly ruined annexe that does not connect to the main interior space; Costello has suggested it may have functioned as a store for dairy produce, a plausible interpretation given the pastoral upland setting. Further downslope to the south, two low banks extend westward toward the Geeragh stream, diverging from a single point to enclose a triangular area of ground. Their purpose is not certain, though drainage is one possibility; any associated cultivation ridges that might have confirmed agricultural use are obscured by heather growth.

The site lies on a working rural hillside, and the heather that frustrates the reading of earthworks in the lower field is a fair indication of what the approach involves underfoot. The walls, though low, are legible on the ground, and the platform cut is still visible as a distinct change in slope behind the structure. The east wall, being the tallest remaining element, is the clearest place to read the coursed construction. The two diverging banks to the south are subtle and easy to miss without knowing to look for them.

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, Knocknascrow, Co. Limerick. 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