Hut site

The National Monuments Service's description

Conjoined Huts in centre of ecclesiastical enclosure described by O'Sullivan and Sheehan (1996, 277, no. 946) as follows; 'This heavily overgrown square enclosure [KE079-035001-] is located on a slight rise close to the S bank of the Valencia river, just W of Cahersiveen town. Measuring 32m square internally, it is bounded at S by a 1m wide rubble wall that is faced with upright slabs on both sides. A wall of similar construction forms the S sections of the E and W sides of the enclosure, and elsewhere the site is defined by a stone built wall of relatively modern date. No entrance feature is apparent. The interior of the enclosure is traversed by an E-W row of intermittent upright slabs, located c. 10m from its N limits. On the S side of this row is a pair of conjoined huts [KE079-035005/006-] and a leacht [KE079-035003-] which is surmounted by a stone cross [KE079-035----]. A large number of uninscribed upright slabs occur in the SE quadrant of the enclosure, which presumably relate to its period of use as a ceallúnach [KE079-035007-].
Located approximately at the centre of the enclosure, this poorly preserved pair of circular huts are of corbelled drystone construction. The hut at E has an internal diameter of 4.45m and a maximum wall height of 0.7m at N. It features traces of an independent entrance at SSE and the remains of a communicating passage with the W hut at WSW. The latter hut is 4.25m in internal diameter. Its wall is best preserved at N, where it is 1.15m wide and 0.65m high internally. The interiors of both huts contain much loose stone'.

Revised by: Caimin O'Brien

Date of revised upload: 9 August 2022

References

O'Sullivan, A. and Sheehan, J. 1996 The Iveragh peninsula: an archaeological survey of South Kerry. Cork University press.