Hut site, Málainn Bhig, Co. Donegal
Co. Donegal |
Settlement Sites
On the southeastern slopes of Leahan Mountain in County Donegal, a remarkable cluster of ancient hut sites lies scattered across the rushy mountain pasture of Málainn Bhig.
This poorly drained landscape, covered in heather and rough grazing, overlooks a mountain stream to the southwest whilst offering stunning views of the Atlantic to the south and the dramatic cliffs of Slieve League to the west. The site forms part of what appears to have been a substantial clustered settlement, with at least twenty-one identified hut structures spread across this remote mountainside location.
The most intriguing feature consists of five conjoined rectangular huts arranged along a northeast to southwest orientation. These structures are accompanied by a circular hut site roughly 10 metres to the southwest and another rectangular hut 10 metres to the south. The northeasternmost of the five connected huts is particularly well-preserved, forming a square-shaped enclosure measuring approximately 2.4 by 2.35 metres internally. Its drystone walls, now covered in heather, still stand up to 0.4 metres high and measure about 0.9 metres thick, surviving as two to four courses of stonework, though no clear entrance is visible today.
This dense concentration of dwelling sites represents the remains of what was likely a thriving mountain community, though its exact age and purpose remain unclear. The variety of hut shapes; rectangular, square, and circular; suggests different functions or perhaps different periods of occupation. Set within this atmospheric landscape of rough pasture and mountain streams, these ruins offer a tantalising glimpse into how past communities adapted to life in Ireland's upland environments.