A
Clochán is dry-stone hut with a
corbelIn architecture a corbel is a piece of stone jutting out of a wall to carry any superincumbent weight. A piece of timber projecting in the same way was called a "tassel" or a "bragger". The technique of corbelling, where rows of corbels deeply keyed inside a wall support a projecting wall or...
led roof, dating from the early
Middle AgesThe Middle Ages of European history is a period of European history covering roughly a millennium in the 5th century through 16th centuries. More specific starting and ending points are sometimes adopted by scholars to suit their respective specializations or current focus...
or earlier. Most archaeologists think these structures were built on the southwestern coast of
IrelandIreland is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island in the world. It lies to the north-west of continental Europe and is surrounded by hundreds of islands and islets. To the east of Ireland, separated by the Irish Sea, is the island of Great Britain...
since the
Bronze AgeThe Bronze Age of a culture is the period when the most advanced metalworking in that culture utilised bronze. This could either have been based on the local smelting of copper and tin from ores, or trading for bronze from production areas elsewhere...
. 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.
A
Clochán is dry-stone hut with a
corbelIn architecture a corbel is a piece of stone jutting out of a wall to carry any superincumbent weight. A piece of timber projecting in the same way was called a "tassel" or a "bragger". The technique of corbelling, where rows of corbels deeply keyed inside a wall support a projecting wall or...
led roof, dating from the early
Middle AgesThe Middle Ages of European history is a period of European history covering roughly a millennium in the 5th century through 16th centuries. More specific starting and ending points are sometimes adopted by scholars to suit their respective specializations or current focus...
or earlier. Most archaeologists think these structures were built on the southwestern coast of
IrelandIreland is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island in the world. It lies to the north-west of continental Europe and is surrounded by hundreds of islands and islets. To the east of Ireland, separated by the Irish Sea, is the island of Great Britain...
since the
Bronze AgeThe Bronze Age of a culture is the period when the most advanced metalworking in that culture utilised bronze. This could either have been based on the local smelting of copper and tin from ores, or trading for bronze from production areas elsewhere...
. 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
IrelandIreland is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island in the world. It lies to the north-west of continental Europe and is surrounded by hundreds of islands and islets. To the east of Ireland, separated by the Irish Sea, is the island of Great Britain...
, for example at
Skellig MichaelSkellig Michael , also known as Great Skellig, is a steep rocky island about 15 kilometres west off the coast of County Kerry, Ireland...
, Church Island off
Beginish IslandBeginish is one of the Blasket Islands, County Kerry, Ireland. It is a low-lying island in Blasket Sound, between Great Blasket Island and the mainland. It has a large colony of Arctic Terns. The island is also the main birthing site for grey seals.Beiginis translates as "Little Island"...
and
ReaskReask is a ruined early Monastic site located 1km east of Ballyferriter, County Kerry, Ireland. Nothing remains of the buildings but low walls and a cross-slab standing stone which sits in the middle of the compound...
(
County KerryCounty Kerry is one of the traditional counties of Ireland. It is located within the province of Munster. Kerry is the fifth largest of Ireland’s 32 counties in area and 14th largest in terms of population...
,
Dingle PeninsulaThe Dingle Peninsula is located in County Kerry and is the most westerly point of Ireland.-Name:...
). Many occur in religious contexts such as used by the monks following
Saint PatrickSaint Patrick Irish: Naomh Pádraig) was a Romano-Briton and Christian missionary, who is the most generally recognised patron saint of Ireland ....
; moreover, his successors carried on the architectural tradition in the Scottish Isle of
IonaIona is a small island in the Inner Hebrides of Scotland that has an important place in the history of Christianity in Scotland and is renowned for its tranquility and natural beauty...
and eventually via Aidan to the eastern English Islands of Farne and
Holy IslandLindisfarne is a tidal island off the north-east coast of England also known as Holy Island, the name of the civil parish. The name Lindisfarne derives from Farne meaning "retreat" and Lindis, a small tidal river adjacent to the island. It has a population of 162...
. There are others in
ringfortRingforts are fortified settlements that are generally deemed to be from the Iron Age, Early Christian or possibly the Early Medieval period in Northern Europe, especially Ireland...
s (such as Leacanbuaile,
County KerryCounty Kerry is one of the traditional counties of Ireland. It is located within the province of Munster. Kerry is the fifth largest of Ireland’s 32 counties in area and 14th largest in terms of population...
) that are commonly interpreted as secular dwellings. Elaborate dry walled stone churches like the St.
Gallarus OratoryThe Gallarus Oratory is believed to be an early Christian church located on the Dingle Peninsula, County Kerry, Ireland...
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
MaineThe State of Maine is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States, bordering the Atlantic Ocean to the southeast, New Hampshire to the southwest, and the Canadian provinces of Quebec to the northwest and New Brunswick to the northeast. Maine is the northernmost portion of...
and
New HampshireNew Hampshire is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. The state was named after the southern English county of Hampshire. It borders Massachusetts to the south, Vermont to the west, Maine and the Atlantic Ocean to the east, and the Canadian province of...
, suggesting possible early settlement by
CuldeeIn the Middle Ages, the Culdees, anglicised form of Céli Dé , were ascetic monastic communities with settlements in Ireland, Scotland and England. The Irish term Céile Dé was Latinized to Coli dei, leading to Boece's culdei, which term seems to have been applied generally to monks and hermits...
monks from Ireland., since
Native AmericanNative Americans in the United States is the phrase that describes indigenous peoples from North America now encompassed by the continental United States, including parts of Alaska and the island state of Hawaii. They comprise a large number of distinct tribes, states, and ethnic groups, many of...
s were not known to use this type of construction (Olsen, 2003).
A modern reproduction clochan can be found in
Saint Fiachra'sSaint Fiacre was born in Ireland in the seventh century. is an ancient pre-Christian name from Ireland. The meaning is uncertain, but the name may mean "battle king", or it may be a derivative of the word "raven"...
Garden at the
Irish National StudThe Irish National Stud is a Thoroughbred horse breeding facility based at Tully, Kildare, County Kildare, Ireland...
in
KildareKildare is a town in County Kildare, Ireland. Its population of 7,538 makes it the seventh largest town in Kildare and the 55th largest in the Republic of Ireland, with a growth rate of 32.4pc since the 2002 census...
.
See also
- Hermits
- Christian monasticism
Christian Monasticism is a practice that began to develop early in the history of the Church, modeled upon scriptural examples and ideals, including those in the Old Testament, but not mandated as an institution in the scriptures. It has come to be regulated by religious rules Christian Monasticism...