Hut site, Crumlin, Co. Clare

Co. Clare |

Settlement Sites

Hut site, Crumlin, Co. Clare

On the limestone plateau of the Burren in Co. Clare, a small circle of loose stone sits on level rocky ground, barely knee-high and just wide enough inside for two people to stand close together.

The interior measures roughly 2.45 metres east to west and 2.3 metres north to south, making it a tight, purposeful space rather than any kind of communal structure. The walls, built from dry-stacked stone without mortar, reach a maximum height of about 0.6 metres on both their inner and outer faces, with a thickness ranging from 0.65 to 0.85 metres. That solidity relative to the modest height suggests the original structure may have been more substantial, its upper courses long since collapsed or robbed for field walls nearby.

Sites like this are generally classified as hut sites, a broad term covering the remains of small prehistoric or early medieval shelters, temporary enclosures, or ancillary structures associated with seasonal farming or pastoral activity. The Burren landscape is scattered with them, but what sets this particular example apart is its position: it sits just 25 metres west of a rocky cliff edge, with open views down to a portion of Galway Bay and, on a clear day, a direct sightline to the Aran Islands lying to the south-west and west. Whether that prospect was incidental or deliberately chosen by whoever built the structure is impossible to say, but the location has a quality of deliberateness to it, a sense that the view mattered as much as the shelter.

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, Crumlin, Co. Clare. 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