CLUTTAHINNA
Map reference: Six inch Nr, W 21 S.M.R. Site Nr 8. 6 inch - National grid: W 21217 10168
The hill of the two paps or various other translations.
I fancy - Cloch Da hInne or Rock with the two fires.
|
Welcome to our readers from the Universities - studying Archaeology. Archaeology is becoming more mainstream with the rise in the construction of Motorway's and the acceptance by Politicians that our past is as important as our future. More has to be done, your Lecturers will know this better than anyone. An economic case can be made for Archaeology, look at those sites like Lios na Gun, a Ringfort excavated and re-constructed it's a powerful way to bring Archaeology "Alive" and thousands of people want to see it. Many of our visitors choose to come here for "our way of life" to experience Ireland. We have a few major sites around Ireland, they are heavily promoted and attract visitors year round. Tourism concentrates on the relatively modern Castles and Cathedrals, while these are important of course, they do not represent the big picture. The Vernacular Archaeology, the Ringfort at the bottom of Tom's field, The Fullacht Fia in Mary Kate's, The Holy Well at the cross road. From an economic point of view those items are a resource waiting to be tapped and from an National point of view they are a treasure trove. Most Archaeology students never go on to do a Degree in the subject but the fact that you will know more than most people of what is in our landscape and you are intelligent enough to recognise the economic potential to the country.
Cluttahinna is one of many Ringforts dotted around the country, nearby is a Fullacht Fia, The Ogham Stones at Melleray, The Ogham Stones at Seemochuda (In UCC) The great ringfort at Dromroe (See St Declan) and many more stone circles un-named. Enjoy the scribblings of an Amateur Archaeologist and don't be too harsh in your comments about how un-proffessional it is. We all have to start someplace and I leave it up to you to come and do a "Proper Job" when you are lecturing and earning humungus ammounts of money.
Archaeologist do it .....In a Trench !
|
SOURCES
"Archaeology of Medieval Ireland"
Lieutenant Terry Barry (1921 ~ 1943)
ISBN 0-415-01104-3
Early Ireland"
Professor Michael J. O'Kelly.
(1915 ~ 1982)
ISBN 0-521-33687-2
Department of Archaeology UCC
Tutors of an Introduction to Irish Archaeology Course some years ago.
My Daughter Angela, (U.C.D.)
Ahenny - Ceide Fields Etc..
|
Why rock of the two fires? well, on this site there is a rather well preserved Lios or ringfort, a causewayed enclosure, it has a Souterrain, and maybe more than one as we will see. The site is on the land of the Morrissey family, they were very generous with their permission, and interest in what measurements and drawings, I was doing up there. Mr Gerald Morrissey passed away about that time, I remember bringing the drawings to him in hospital in Cork University Hospital. So, a sincere thanks to the Morrissey's.
This is my interpretation of the site, I can't be sure what year but in the 90's. This site has been described in in various Journals, in one I think it was the JRSAI 1897, described the little Bothauns, or peasant houses on the side of the hill, outside the Lios. Whatever its origins, the Lios would have been the Big House, this is where the local chief or the most important man and his family lived.
The drawing right above, shows the field boundaries "respecting" the Lios. They do not intrude into the working area of the Lios. The Lios is circular and measures 32 Meters in diameter, top of bank - top of bank. The bank is 76cm high and 2 metres wide. The fosse is 1.5 Metres deep and 5 Meters 40cm wide. the causeway entrance is 3 Meters wide.
From the drawing you can see that it was a very functional place to live. There is just one entrance into the main part of the site, a causeway, it has an undug Causeway across the Fosse. On top of the Bank there would have been a wooden Palisade and at the entrance a movable door/barrier. The drain or fosse in this case, drains the water off the hillside as well as the central area, note the small drain through the bank, lower right. Archaeologist put forward theories as to the the possible "Purpose" Defence - Sanctuary - Status - Etc... perhaps it was all of the above at different times. This Lios is "Typical" of its type, in size layout and the presence of a Souterrain.
From the drawing you will see a long depression NW/SE the Souterrain is at the SE end of this, the depression could be a collapsed passageway leading to more Souterrain's and measures 13 Meters long. (Photo on left below) In the other Photo (Right below) is the entrance to the Souterrain. It's maybe one foot high by two feet wide. Once inside the opening it opens up to 80 x 80cm and is 3 Meters long, the final entrance to the chamber measures 1Mtr x 60 x 60 cm. The chamber itself measures 2 Meters 60cm in diameter and 1.5 Meters high in the centre.
The Souterrain itself has a stone lined entrance sloping down at 15 Degrees to the floor of the main chamber. The floor is covered roughly with stones, probably brought in by water off the collapse. It is corbelled with a large flat stone sealing the opening in the roof. It had Crisp bags, soft drink cans, Biscuit wrappers Etc... This type of dwelling dates, most likely 500BC - 400AD the Iron or Celtic age..
|
|
This is the best view we could get with a torch inside the passageway. It's not for the claustrophic, while you can crouch in there, it would be difficult to turn if you needed to exit. Ahead of you, you see the final part of the entrance, described in the J.R.S.A.I 1897, Ver 5, Vol 7 270 as Thrilithrons - smaller than the main passageway, and the floor of the main chamber.
All the restrictions of space and angle of the ground, particularly the reduced opening into the main chamber lends credence to the arguments for the use of Souterrain's as a place of refuge. Attackers would have to enter the chamber one at a time, even at that they would be forced to enter either head first or legs first into the chamber itself. the death of an attacker would effectively seal the entrance, he would have to be dragged back up the passageway before anyone else went down, again to the same fate.
That is not to say that they were immune from attack in there, we know that the Lord of the Deise, O'Faolain [Phelan] was murdered in such a Souterrain by suffocation. His attackers lit a fire at the entrance to the Souterrain sucking out the oxygen and smoke being sucked down into the chamber.
|
All the other possibilities of use, must be examined as to their practicality in this situation, secure place in time of attack - Yes, place to keep valuables - Yes, everyday use as storage of perishables - Not really Etc...
There you have it, an undug causewayed enclosure - a ringfort and a Souterrain. At Cluttahinna, Cappoquin, County Waterford.
|
The Quern stone alluded to in the drawing is in the safekeeping of Cork County Museum, by permission of the Morrissey family. We feared theft of this item.
The rotary quern was one way to grind grain into flour, there are different methods, like the saddle quern. This one was found on the surface at the points marked by an X on the main drawing NNE of the site.
The top rotary stone is sandstone and the bottom static part is quartz. both halves look in very good condition, they are not broken or damaged in any way. I add the possible assembly method based on the stones and the shallow cup in the bottom stone, presumably to hold the bottom of the handle in place. I think the bottom stone would have been buried to give it stability. It must have been a very difficult task to grind any great amount of flour with this method.
There is evidence of iron working and there is a good sprinkling of flint.
|
|
Not far from this site in Turbeha - The tower of St Beha, Is this translation correct? Toor - Tur is a fairly common prefix I wonder if it is something to do with Animals - beha The Cattle Field - Any Irish Scholar care to have a crack at it. Must look up O'Donovan... there is a Fullacht Fia and an ancient graveyard. This graveyard is completely gone - only in memory and even then there is some confusion.
|
|
The drawing on the left, of the Souterrain, has faded badly over the years. However, it is still possible to make out the main features of the under ground chamber. Five roof stones over the entrance passageway four standing stones plus three roof stones at the entrance. Eight in total as shown in the top part of the drawing.
The chances of this site and many more like it being "Excavated" is unlikely. Archaeologists can only justify the expense of a dig, if there is the likelihood of a good yield in terms of dateable and a verifiable find of Pottery or Flint artefacts, something out of the ordinary for this type of site. Of course that doesn't mean that it be allowed to deteriorate into oblivion.
|
|
