Sweathouse, Crosshill, Co. Roscommon

A sweathouse once stood here, built into an earthen bank on the steep south-east-facing slope of Kilronan Mountain in County Roscommon, beside a stream and close to a farmhouse. It was demolished in 1963 and leaves no trace at ground level today.

Sweathouses are among the more quietly fascinating survivals of pre-modern Irish rural life. Functioning much like a rudimentary sauna, they were small stone or earthen chambers, typically low-roofed and just large enough to crouch inside, heated by burning fuel within and then raked out before bathers entered. They were used for relief from ailments such as rheumatism, and were once relatively common across the northern half of Ireland, though many have disappeared through neglect or clearance. The Crosshill example had the distinction of being recorded on the 1914 edition of the Ordnance Survey six-inch map, suggesting it was still a recognisable feature of the landscape at that point, even if long disused. Its position, tucked into a hillside bank with water nearby, is typical of the type; the slope would have aided drainage, and the stream would have provided the cold water needed after the heat of the chamber. By 1963, however, it was gone.