Enclosure

The National Monuments Service's description

Inishtooskert, the northernmost of the Blasket island group, lies 4 miles off the W extremity of the Dingle Peninsula and 2.5 miles N of the Great Blasket. An area of 241 acres is bounded on all sides by sea-cliffs, and the land slopes upwards in a NW direction, from under 100 feet (30m) OD along the SE side to a maximum altitude of 573 feet (175m) roughly midway along the NW side of the island. The land is generally rocky with a thin soil cover and the N half of the island is devoid of any trace of settlement activity. Part of the S half of the island is occupied by a small field system, and it is within this that the Early Christian settlement, named after St. Brendan, is located.

A semi-circular or D-shaped enclosure (KE051-001020-), measuring 23m NW-SE x 13m SW-NE, lies directly W of the 1st enclosure and the wall that divides them incorporates a small drystone-built hut (5). A low stony step divides this enclosure into an upper and lower terrace and the only feature visible in the lower S section is a rectangular arrangement of stones in the SE corner. This latter feature measures c. 4m NW-SE and the stones project no more than .1m above the surface. It may be the remains of a sheep-pen but too little survives to allow classification.

The above description is derived from J. Cuppage, ‘Corca Dhuibhne. Dingle Peninsula archaeological survey. Ballyferriter. Oidhreacht Chorca Dhuibhne’ (1986), no. 844. In certain instances the entries have been revised and updated in the light of recent research.

Date of upload: 8 August 2013