Anyone With An Interest In Ancient Civilizations Should Visit Dingle In Ireland
Anyone who is interested in archaeology or ancient history should visit the Dingle Peninsula in County Kerry Ireland where they can find numerous monuments going back as far as 8000 BC. This will be of interest to students of Irish History or to people who may be looking into their Gaelic or Celtic roots.
Evidence of one of the earliest human settlements (8000-4000BC) in the area was found at Ferriter’s Cove, near Ballyferriter. This was a temporary settlement, which was used on a seasonal basis. Remnants of a wide variety of food such as hazel nuts, red deer, pig, hare and birds have been found there as well as fishbones, shellfish and even a cow.
Around the village of Cloghane in the Loch a’Duin valley there are numerous monuments dating from the Bronze Age and almost 100 stone structures, some dating back to 2500 BC. The growth of peat bogs over a period of 3000 years covered much of the stone walls in the area but some of it has been excavated. Studies have shown that there was significant agricultural activity in this area from 1600 BC onwards.
?On the hillside above Camp village, about ten miles west of Tralee, one will find Cathair Con Rí (Caherconree), which is considered to be the finest examples of a promontory hill fort in Ireland. The fort is situated about 2050 feet up in the Sliabh Mish mountains. Three sides of the promontory on which it is built are protected by steep cliffs, while the fourth side is defended by a drystone wall which, although it is collapsed in places, is up to 3 metres high and 4.5 metres wide. The high wall marks the boundary to the barony of Corca Dhuibhne which encompasses most of the Dingle Peninsula. Nobody knows the true purpose of Caherconree. What was its use? Was it defensive, territorial, or the residence of a local tribe?
Almost 70 Ogham Stones have been discovered in this area. Ogham is the earliest known form of Irish writing and consists of groups of lines carved into the edges of the stones. Ogham has been deciphered and is now well understood and it is thought that the Ogham Stones were often connected to the marking of territory and ownership of land and the name of a man, his father and grandfather often features on them.
Over thirty early monastic or religious sites including beehive huts, holy wells, oratories, churches and burials have been identified on the peninsula. Why are there so many in such a small area? Perhaps it is because the area was so remote on the edge of civilization of the time.
Ring forts are circular fortified settlements that were built during the Iron Age (800 BC–400 AD), although some may in the Early Middle Ages (up to 1000 AD). They are found all over Europe but especially in Ireland and the Dingle Peninsula is no exception and there are good examples at Dun Clar near Annascaul and Cathair Deargain near Ballydavid. Ring forts were very functional structures and the mystical powers attributed to them in later times which caused them to be called Fairy Forts are based on myth.
No Viking remains survive on the peninsula; but the Vikings named the bay near Ballydavid “Smerwick” which translates as “the bay of butter”. From the Norman period (1170 onwards) there are the remains of five tower houses on the peninsula, the most impressive ones being at Minard, Gallarus and Rathinnane.
History didn’t stop there and there is a wealth of items of interest to the modern historian to be found on the peninsula also.Visitors to the region can stay at Hotels in Dingle or Dingle Bed and Breakfast
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