Hut site, Curragh More, Co. Kerry

Co. Kerry |

Settlement Sites

Hut site, Curragh More, Co. Kerry

On the Iveragh Peninsula in County Kerry, a low curve of stones barely rises above the ground, yet it preserves the outline of a structure that once sheltered someone on this stretch of Atlantic-facing land.

The remains at Curragh More are modest by any measure: a semicircular foundation with a diameter of 5.7 metres, its walls surviving to a height of just 0.2 metres and a thickness of 0.6 metres. That near-vanished profile is, in a way, what makes it quietly compelling. Thousands of such structures once dotted the Irish landscape, built by farmers, monks, seasonal herders, or travellers, and the vast majority have disappeared entirely. This one has not, though it clings to visibility by the thinnest of margins.

Semiircular or D-shaped hut sites of this kind appear throughout early medieval Ireland and are often associated with monastic enclosures, clachans, or upland grazing activity. The curved wall would typically have been completed by a straight timber or wattle facade, forming a full enclosure, which explains why only the stone arc survives while the rest has left no trace. At Curragh More, the site sits approximately 30 metres east of a related monument, suggesting it was not an isolated feature but part of a wider pattern of activity in the area. The Iveragh Peninsula, best known today for the Ring of Kerry, contains a dense concentration of early sites precisely because its relative remoteness preserved what development elsewhere erased.

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, Curragh More, 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.