Hut site, Cappamore, Co. Kerry

Co. Kerry |

Settlement Sites

Hut site, Cappamore, Co. Kerry

On a south-facing slope above the head of Kenmare Bay, a small stone structure sits in pasture beside a stream, so modest in scale that it would be easy to mistake for a natural tumble of rock.

What makes it worth a second look is the care embedded in its construction. The builder, whoever they were, faced a sloping hillside and solved the problem methodically: the northern portion of the floor was cut roughly forty centimetres into the upslope, while the southern portion was built up by around eighty centimetres, producing a reasonably level interior on ground that would otherwise have made habitation awkward.

The structure is D-shaped in plan, measuring about two metres east to west, with the curved northern and southern walls formed from collapsed drystone, now moss-covered. Drystone construction involves stacking stone without mortar, relying instead on careful placement and the weight of the material itself. The straight western side, just over a metre and a half long, is formed not by a purpose-built wall but by an existing field wall, a practical borrowing that suggests the hut was inserted into an already-managed landscape rather than built in open ground. The entrance faces south-east. No date has been firmly established for the structure, and hut sites of this broadly simple type can span a wide range of periods in Irish archaeology, from the early medieval era back into prehistory.

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, Cappamore, 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: 50 MB
If you'd like to add an image or a PDF please do it here.

Advertisement