Clochan

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Fahan Clochans on the slopes of Mount Eagle, Dingle Peninsula, Kerry, Ireland

A Clochan is dry-stone hut with a corbelled roof, dating from the early Middle Ages or earlier. Most archaeologists think these structures were built on the southwestern coast of Ireland since the Bronze Age. They are most commonly round beehive huts, but rectangular plans are known as well. Most experts think that the rectangular footprints date to a later era. Some Clochans are not completely built of stone, but may have possessed a thatched roof. The walls are very thick, up to 1.5 meters. Sometimes several clochans are joined together by their walls.

Clochans are mainly found in the Southwest of Ireland, for example at Skellig Michael, Church Island off Beginish Island and Reask (County Kerry, Dingle Peninsula). Many occur in religious contexts such as used by the monks following Saint Patrick; moreover, his successors carried on the architectural tradition in the Scottish Isle of Iona and eventually via Aidan to the eastern English Islands of Farne and Holy Island. There are others in ringforts (such as Leacanbuaile, County Kerry) that are commonly interpreted as secular dwellings. Elaborate dry walled stone churches like the St. Gallarus Oratory may derive from Clochans. The clochan has been described in the 7th to 8th century law Críth Gablach.

Several hundred of these structures have been found in North America, especially Maine and New Hampshire, suggesting possible early settlement by culdee monks from Ireland., since Native Americans were not known to use this type of construction (Olsen, 2003).

A modern reproduction clochan can be found in Saint Fiachra's Garden at the Irish National Stud in Kildare.