Stone domed beehive hut, Irish National Heritage Park - geograph

A clochán (

plural The plural (sometimes abbreviated pl., pl, or ), in many languages, is one of the values of the grammatical category of number. The plural of a noun typically denotes a quantity greater than the default quantity represented by that noun. This de ...

clocháin) or beehive hut is a

dry-stone hut Types of dry stone hut include: * Clochán, associated with the south-western Irish seaboard * Mitato, found in Greece, especially on the mountains of Crete * Orri, associated with Ariège, France * Shielings in Scotland * Trulli, in Apulia, Ita ...

with a

corbel In architecture, a corbel is a structural piece of stone, wood or metal jutting from a wall to carry a superincumbent weight, a type of bracket. A corbel is a solid piece of material in the wall, whereas a console is a piece applied to the s ...

led roof, commonly associated with the south-western Irish seaboard. The precise construction date of most of these structures is unknown with the buildings belonging to a long-established Celtic tradition, though there is at present no direct evidence to date the surviving examples before . Some associated with religious sites may be

pre-Romanesque Pre-Romanesque art and architecture is the period in European art from either the emergence of the Merovingian kingdom in about 500 AD or from the Carolingian Renaissance in the late 8th century, to the beginning of the 11th century Romanesqu ...

, some consider that the most fully intact structures date after the 12th century or later. It is where monks lived.

Form

They are most commonly round beehive huts, but rectangular plans are known as well. It has been suggested that the rectangular footprints date to a later era. Some clochán are not completely built of stone and may have possessed a thatched roof. The walls are very thick, up to . Sometimes several clochans are joined together by their walls.

Locations

Clochán are mainly found in the Southwest of

Ireland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...

, for example at

Skellig Michael Skellig Michael ( ga, Sceilg Mhichíl ), also called Great Skellig ( ga, link=no, Sceilig Mhór ), is a twin-pinnacled crag west of the Iveragh Peninsula in County Kerry, Ireland. The island is named after the archangel Michael, with "Skellig ...

, Church Island off

Beginish Island Beginish () is an island in Valentia Harbour, in south west Kerry Kerry, Ireland. Geography Dominating the northern skyline is Doulus Head and Killelan mountain, with Valentia island to the south and Ballycarbery to the east. The north wes ...

Glanfahan Glanfahan is a townland on the Dingle Peninsula, Ireland, notable for its large collection of clocháns, which form a National Monument. Location Glanfahan is located on the southern slopes of Mount Eagle, overlooking Dingle Bay, south of D ...

Fahan Fahan (; ) is a district of Inishowen in the north of County Donegal, Ireland, located 5 km (3 miles) south of Buncrana. In Irish, Fahan is named after its patron saint, Saint Mura, first abbot of Fahan, an early Christian monastery. His ...

and

Reask Reask () is a ruined early Monastic site located 1 km east of Baile an Fheirtéaraigh, County Kerry, Ireland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean ...

in the

Dingle Peninsula The Dingle Peninsula ( ga, Corca Dhuibhne; anglicised as Corkaguiny, the name of the corresponding barony) is the northernmost of the major peninsulas in County Kerry. It ends beyond the town of Dingle at Dunmore Head, the westernmost point ...

County Kerry County Kerry ( gle, Contae Chiarraí) is a county in Ireland. It is located in the South-West Region and forms part of the province of Munster. It is named after the Ciarraige who lived in part of the present county. The population of the co ...

. Many occur in religious contexts such as used by the monks following

Saint Patrick Saint Patrick ( la, Patricius; ga, Pádraig ; cy, Padrig) was a fifth-century Romano-British Christian missionary and bishop in Ireland. Known as the "Apostle of Ireland", he is the primary patron saint of Ireland, the other patron saints be ...

; moreover, his successors carried on the architectural tradition in the Scottish island of

Iona Iona (; gd, Ì Chaluim Chille (IPA: �iːˈxaɫ̪ɯimˈçiʎə, sometimes simply ''Ì''; sco, Iona) is a small island in the Inner Hebrides, off the Ross of Mull on the western coast of Scotland. It is mainly known for Iona Abbey, though there ...

and eventually via Aidan to the eastern English islands of

Farne The Farne Islands are a group of islands off the coast of Northumberland, England. The group has between 15 and 20 islands depending on the level of the tide.

and

Holy Island Sacred space, sacred ground, sacred place, sacred temple, holy ground, or holy place refers to a location which is deemed to be sacred or hallowed. The sacredness of a natural feature may accrue through tradition or be granted through a bless ...

. There are others in

ringfort Ringforts, ring forts or ring fortresses are circular fortified settlements that were mostly built during the Bronze Age up to about the year 1000. They are found in Northern Europe, especially in Ireland. There are also many in South Wales ...

s (such as

Leacanabuaile Leacanabuaile is a stone ringfort (cashel) and National Monument in County Kerry, Ireland. Leacanabuaile is immediately northwest of Cahergal, northwest of Cahirciveen. History The cashel was built around the 9th century AD as a defended farm ...

) that are commonly interpreted as secular dwellings. Elaborate dry walled stone churches like the

Gallarus Oratory The Gallarus Oratory (, ''Gallarus'' being interpreted as either 'rocky headland' (''Gall-iorrus'') or 'house or shelter for foreigner(s)' (''Gall Aras'') is a chapel on the Dingle Peninsula, County Kerry, Ireland. It has been presented variou ...

may derive from the clochán. The clochán has been described in the 7th to 8th-century law Críth Gablach.

Popular culture

Parts of the 2017 film Star Wars: The Last Jedi were filmed using the beehive huts on the island of

. Because of the restrictions regarding filming on the island, a set of replica beehive huts were also built in 2016 at Ceann Sibéal, near

Ballyferriter Ballyferriter ( ga, Baile an Fheirtéaraigh , meaning 'Ferriter's townland', or ''an B ailtín'') is a Gaeltacht village in County Kerry, Ireland. It is in the west of the Corca Dhuibhne (Dingle) peninsula and according to the 2002 census, abou ...

, on the

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Clochan Stone houses Buildings and structures in Ireland Vernacular architecture Roofing materials Irish Christian monks Monasticism Archaeological sites in County Kerry Ruins in the Republic of Ireland Christian monasteries in the Republic of Ireland

Form

Locations

Popular culture

See also

Further reading

References

External links