What is recorded here

Fohernamanagh is the most inaccessible settlement on mainland Corca Dhuibhne, a brutal test of endurance hidden high above the sea. Tradition claims St. Brendan sojourned there before his legendary voyage, yet ordinary families still crowded the valley in the early 1800s. The huts remain scattered across the slopes, waiting for someone brave enough to hear the silence inside them.

Fohernamanagh/Fothair na Manach: The ecclesiastical nature of this settlement (KE025-001001-) is only indirectly suggested by its name and by its traditional association with St. Brendan. He is said both to have founded a monastery here (O'Donoghue 1895, 327-8) and to have sojourned here for a while before embarking on his legendary sea voyage (An Seabhac 1939, 132). Its remote location (it is undoubtedly the most inaccessible settlement on mainland Corca Dhuibhne) also suggests a monastic settlement. However, despite its isolation and the difficulty of access, the valley is reputed to have been occupied at the beginning of the 19th century by 3 or 4 families (Power 1923, 75-6), and it is not clear to what extent the present form of the settlement is attributable to this recent occupation. Apart from the enclosure and associated structures, several other huts and unclassified structures occur scattered around the valley (see location map). (3) An oval drystone-built sheep-fold (KE025-001013-), high (1300-1400 feet OD) on the W slopes of Masatiompan, is associated with a small system of disused field walls and may occupy the site of an earlier hut. The above description is derived from J. Cuppage, ‘Corca Dhuibhne. Dingle Peninsula archaeological survey. Ballyferriter. Oidhreacht Chorca Dhuibhne’ (1986), no. 826. In certain instances the entries have been revised and updated in the light of recent research. Date of upload: 8 August 2013

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