Hut site in Cool East

Close to a peat-covered cliff-edge on Valencia Island, a field wall, running roughly N-S, divides a cluster of six houses and a possible souterrain; the houses on the W side appear to predate the two at E. The rectangular foundations of a nineteenth-century house occur on the N side of the group and appear to be associated with the present field system, which overlies an earlier one. (1) KE078-019----; The S end of the complex is marked by a large square hut, divided internally by the field boundary. The corbelled drystone walls are carefully built, though largely buried by collapse. D: 7.7m x 7m. H: .75m. T: 2m. (2) KE078-019002-; Immediately N of (1) and possibly conjoined. Corbelled drystone foundations of a carefully constructed rectangular hut with a possible entrance at NW. The field boundaries overlies its S wall. D: 6m x 5.3m. H: .6m. T: .55m. (3) KE078-019003-; Immediately N of (2), and possibly conjoined. Sod-cover obscures its S wall. Well-built, corbelled rectangular hut. D: 4.3m x 3.4m. H: .55m. T: 1.7m. (4) KE078-019004-; The ruined, sod-covered foundations of a rectangular hut measuring 7.6m x 3.5m in overall diameter. (5) KE078-019005-; E of the field boundary, the stone and earth foundations of a rectangular hut. D: 4.5 x 4.1. H: .5m. T: 1.5m. (6) KE078-019006-; Conjoined with (5). D: 5.9m x 3.5m. H: .5m. T: 1.5m. The lintelled entrance, .5m wide x .3m high, to an inaccessible souterrain (KE078-019001-) is located NW of (KE078-019003-). The above description is derived from A. O'Sullivan and J. Sheehan (compilers), 'The Iveragh peninsula: an archaeological survey of South Kerry'. Cork University Press (1996), no. 1204. In certain instances the entries have been revised and updated in the light of recent research. Date of upload: 31 July 2013