Field system in Inis Tuaisceart

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. The island does not appear to have been occupied in 1756 (Smith, 185), but there was intermittent occupation during the first half of the 19th century (Stagles 1980, 125-6) and, in 1838, the Kean family were in residence in the large clochaun (Windele 137-40). This later occupation centered on the same area as the Early Christian settlement and, from a surface inspection alone, it is not possible to differentiate between an early and late field system or to determine to what extent the various structures may have been modified by the later inhabitants. 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