Reencaheragh Cottage

Portmagee, County Kerry

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The History That Surrounds Us - Part II

History of County Kerry

The History That Surrounds Us 
Portmagee, Barony of Iveragh, County Kerry

PART I - Pre-Christian period

Introduction

 Welcome to Portmagee, County Kerry, at the end of Ireland’s famous Iveragh peninsula. We are in an area that is full of whispers of the ancient past, vestiges of the early Celts, remnants of medieval Christian times, and other evidence of the notable stages of the story of Ireland.

That story starts around 7500 BCE. This was eight millenia before writing arrived, so this period contains the fewest pieces of the Irish historical puzzle. Luckily for us, Kerry contains more than its share of the remains of pre-historic times, and has plenty to offer those interested in the peoples of the ancient past in  Ireland as well as Europe generally. The first section below – prehistory – describes some of the more fascinating finds in our area from those times.

Once literacy arrived around the middle of the first millennium CE, the picture becomes more clear, shining light on the centuries before Christianity from the recording of the folklore that tenaciously survived through generations. The early Christians also came with beliefs and practices that were readily accepted by the populace. The Irish Christian church returned the favor, developing its own unique practices, consistent with those of the native Irish in many ways.

            While you are in Portmagee, we invite you to use this summary in conjunction with materials in the cottage, to travel back in time a little and see for yourself the history that surrounds us. You’ve got most of what Ireland has to offer in that regard, right here in County Kerry.

A.      Before the Celts

            The first evidence of significant numbers of people in Ireland begins around 7500 BCE, when hunter/gatherers arrived in the north of Ireland from Britain. Somewhat later in time, new peoples also arrived in southern Ireland, probably from Spain and France. Important evidence of this arrival and settlement has been found at Knockadoon, in the area around Lough Gur, near Adare, in County Limerick. You probably drove close by it if you traveled through County Limerick area on the way to Portmagee.

These peoples probably came to Ireland after the beginning of a warming period which started some centuries before 7500 BCE, allowing migration of animals and their hungry pursuers over a land bridge with Britain. The land then was much different than it is now, covered with thick forests and scrub. These peoples settled along the coast, river channels, and lakes. 

The population increased significantly after farming techniques, developed in the eastern Mediterranean, made their way to Ireland starting around 3500 BCE. The farmers began to clear land to grow their crops and raise livestock. Two of the earliest places in Ireland found for this activity are in Kerry – on Bray Head, Valentia Island just across Portmagee harbor, and at Cashelkeelty, near Laraugh on the Beara peninsula.

Farming allowed for a more sedentary lifestyle, which brought about key changes in these early societies. For instance, it increased the importance of place, and within a tribe’s general locale, certain sites would have a sacred meaning. Along those lines, they began to build large stone monuments (“megaliths”), which survive to remind us of their presence to this day. There are about 1,200 megaliths in Ireland, and many are in Kerry.

The megaliths they left behind in our area include wedge tombs, stone circles, stone rows and standing stones. Most of these are dated to the period starting around 2500 BCE – the late Stone Age and beginning of the Bronze Age in Ireland. For your historical bearings, this was the time of the Pyramids in Egypt.

Why did these peoples build the various types of megaliths? Picture yourself in Ireland 4500 years ago – you are surrounded by dark forests and the forbidding north Atlantic, your food supply depends on the vagaries of nature, and the mysteries of birth and death have no explanation. In these circumstances, you, like people in many other ancient civilizations, are looking for ways to explain, to rationalize and to address the unknown.

So, you develop rituals to “come to terms” with the unknown, to rationalize the otherwise unpredictable, to placate and maybe even control it. To note the importance of these rituals, your tribe builds monuments made of sturdy materials that will stand the test of time. Thus, the megaliths of Ireland.

1.       Wedge Tombs

            One common ritual involved the death of a member of the community. Burial rituals allowed a reaffirmation of social bonds, as well as the community’s links with the ancestors and the landscape around them. This was the time of the great “passage graves” such as those in the Boyne valley in County Meath – Newgrange, Knowth and Dowth are the most renowned examples.

While the wedge tombs you see are made out of stone, they are believed to have been covered with soil and smaller stones to form a mound. As you visit one of these tombs, you can imagine a primitive farming community surrounding it, and where you are standing was probably the location of all of the important rituals and ceremonies held by that community.

           There are several well-preserved wedge tombs in our area: Cool East (pictured above) and Kildreenagh , Valentia Island; Coom and Meelagullen, Ballinskelligs; Caherlehillan, Caherciveen; and Coumatlakane, Caherdaniel.

            The wedge tombs have an interesting story. They are believed to be associated with the arrival of a particular group of peoples, starting around 2300 BCE. This was a culture that had an advanced knowledge of bronze metallurgy, and hence their arrival marked the beginning of the Bronze Age in Ireland. They are believed to have originally settled in southwestern Ireland, in particular in the Ballinskelligs area near us, as well as on the Dingle and Beara peninsulas.

Why did they settle in our area? It turns out that Kerry and west Cork had rich deposits of copper, which is used in making bronze implements. In fact, archeologists have identified a unique type of Bronze Age axe from Killaha, Co. Kerry (near  Killarney). Historians believe that our area was a major producer of axes and other bronze objects (spearheads, swords, shields, awls, sickles, cauldrons) for export throughout Ireland, and Europe generally, during this time.

Since bronze is a combination of copper and tin, and the tin had to be imported to our area, it is likely that there was substantial interaction between these peoples in our area, and those in other parts of Ireland and Europe based on this trade.

2.       Stone Circles           

These peoples who brought the wedge tomb tradition, and the expertise in bronze-making, also used stone circles, stone-rows and standing stones as part of their culture. This paralleled a change in Ireland generally at that time, when the communal rituals and ceremonies expanded beyond burial rites to other types of activities.

About 100 of the 400 stone circles in Ireland are in Kerry, and most of them are in our area. The stone circles in our part of Ireland are unique in that they usually have an axial stone lying on its side and opposite the entrance. Sometimes a large stone is close by, or an alignment of standing stones.

In ancient cultures, circles had a special meaning. They were widely used in magic and religion as a protective device. In Ireland, stone circles are believed to have been used as both open-air temples and for secular ceremonies. Sometimes there was a burial pit in the middle.

Stone circles in our area can be found at Eightercua (near Waterville); Dromroe (near Killarney (pictured above)); Cashelkeelty and Shronebirrane (between Laraugh and Ardgroom on the Beara peninsula outside of Kenmare); Uragh (before you get to Laraugh); Lissyvigeen (near Farranfore-access may be restricted); and Dromatouk, just outside of Kenmare.

When you visit a stone circle, see if you can find the opening—usually that’s where the largest stones are. Is it pointing to the east or west? Is there an axial stone opposite the entrance? Are there any other large stones in the area, or maybe a stone row? Why do you think this circle was placed in this location? What events or purposes would be cause for gathering the community here?

3.       Standing Stones and Stone Rows  

Standing stones and stone rows are further evidence of the peoples who settled in our area in the 2000 – 500 BCE timeframe.

Standing stones (also called gallain or menhir) were used to mark or socialize the environment, or establish a place as sacred (e.g., burial marking; fertility cults/gods). Since social and spiritual issues were so interrelated, it would be hard to tell the difference now. They range from 1 to 7 metres in height, with the larger ones being the older ones. Ogham writings and Christian crosses which you may find on these stones were probably added later by earnest Christian missionaries.

           Stone rows also accompanied the new bronze-making settlers. There are also many stone rows found in Britanny. They could have been for rituals, while some probably were signposts/direction markers. 

            Examples in our area are found at Eightercua (pictured above) and Doory, Waterville; Kildreelig, Ballinskelligs; Ballynacarrig, Killarney (near large gallain); Glanlough, Caherdaniel (near gallery grave); and Garrough, Caherdaniel (appears to be signpost for copper mines at Coad).

4.       Rock art 

In addition to the megaliths, another relic of antiquity is very common in Kerry – variably called stone scribings, petroglyphs or “rock art.” Rock art was practiced by many ancient societies. It was an important form of pre-writing symbols, used in communication from approximately 10,000 BCE around the world.

In Ireland, they feature abstract drawings or circles, concentric rings, triangles, interlinking lines, as well as cup marks.

The highest concentration of rock art in Ireland is in Kerry. The most frequent motif is the cup-and-ring, or cup and partial ring (sometimes with a tail which points downwards).  Surfaces with this style tend to occur near places where copper or gold ores were mined. This raises the possibility that they are prospectors' maps or signposts.

B.    The Celts 

1.  Background

           The Celts have a storied history, which we won’t try to describe here. Linguists, archeologists, historians and geneticists generally agree that the Celts were a loose collection of tribal peoples who shared similarities in language, religion, commerce, warfare and law. They were very powerful throughout most of Europe in the latter part of the first millenium BCE. They were largely subjugated by the Romans, except in those areas now typically described as “Celtic” today, such as Ireland. 

The Celts have been described as the “First Europeans,” and their migration to Ireland reflected their diversity within a generally common language and culture. It is believed that at least three distinct groups of Celts ended up in Kerry, for instance. 

The earliest were the Picts who arrived in the north from Britain, probably around 500 BCE. One tribe of the Picts were the Ciarriage, from which Kerry (Chiaraí) took its name. According to the legends, Ciar, son of the Picts’ Queen Mebh of Connaught, ruled over what is now Kerry.

Another group were the Erainn, also called the Iverni or Fir Bolg, who landed in Cork and Kerry. These were the builders of the stone ring-forts common in Kerry. The finest example is Staigue Fort, near Caherdaniel. They also migrated north and were the progenitors of many of the famous names in Irish mythology – Cu Chulainn, Conor MacNessa, Dierdre, Cu Roi MacDaire and Niall of the Nine Hostages.

Finally, the Gaels arrived around 100 BCE, settling in our area as well as elsewhere in Munster, and in County Meath near Dublin. According to the folklore, these Celts are believed to be descendants of the Milesians, who are linked to the Iberian peninsula. Eventually, as the Eoganacht, they wielded considerable power throughout the province of Munster, where they ruled from Cashel in Co. Tipperary. In our area, the Eoganacht Locha Lein ruled from Killarney. They are believed to be the ancestors of three famous families in our area—the MacCarthy’s, the O’Sullivan’s and the O’Donohue’s. 

Most of the Celtic peoples in our area, however, were the Corcu Duibne, from the Erainn Celts, and the Ciarriage. The Corcu Duibne settled on our side of the Iveragh peninsula, and the facing side of the Dingle peninsula. Their rulers lived at Ballycarberry, across the Ferthy River from Cahersiveen. It is likely that they originally inhabited the two ringforts in that area, and later built the impressive Ballycarberry castle, now in ruins, using building techniques brought to Ireland by the Normans. They are believed to be the progenitors of three other famous families in our area—the O'Shea’s, O'Falvey’s, and O'Connell’s.

2.    What the Celts Left Behind

             In addition to their many lasting influences on Irish culture, the Celts are associated with several archeological remains in Kerry. First, the stone ringforts in our area are attributed to them, particularly the Erainn who landed in Cork and Kerry around 300 BCE. It is very possible that they built these fortifications to establish footholds in this new land. Staigue Fort, near Caherdaniel, is one of the best preserved stone ringforts in all of Ireland.

             The two ringforts near Ballycarberry castle outside of Caherciveen are also likely to have been built by these new peoples. One, Cahergall, is a strong fortification apparently used for defensive purposes. The other, Leacanabuaile (pictured above), appears to have been used more in conjunction with farming in the area. The defensive ringforts frequently included a chevaux-de-frise, which is a band of upright stones set close together. This building technique is also found on the Iberian peninsula, reflecting a possible place of origin of the Celts who landed in our area, or perhaps just indicating trade interactions. 

            Other ringforts in our area are found in Caherdaniel; Cahersavane, Waterville; and Loher and Fermoyle, Ballinskelligs.

            The Celts also built many promontory forts. These are basically stone walls built across a spur of land jutting out to sea cutting off access from the mainland. This method reduced the work of building by about 75%, as an approach could only be made by land. . An inland variation of this technique used precipices rather than sea-cliffs as the natural defenses.

These forts probably had the same function that the stone ringforts had—early fortifications upon arrival in this new land. But that raises a question—why were there these two types of defensive structures—ringforts and promontory forts? Perhaps the promontory forts served a special purpose, such as a trading post. 

 “Reencaheragh” is named after the local promontory fort nearby, now in much ruin. “Reen” is the anglicized name for “point into the water,” “promontory,” etc. “Caher” is the name for a fortification. Reencaheragh contains a  chevaux-de-frise, similar to the stone ringforts. 

The best known promontory fort in Ireland is on the Aran island of Inishmore, called Dun Aengus. Locally, Dunbeg, and Cathair Con Rí (near Camp) on the Dingle peninsula, and Cooseenadagallan on Valentia Island, are other examples. 

These stones use a rudimentary ogham script, and represent the first writing in Ireland. While the Celtic culture was quite sophisticated in many ways, the Celts did not believe in committing folklore, laws, beliefs etc. to writing. Rather, the learned classes such as the druids felt it was more important to commit these to memory.

            The sole exception appears to have been ogham stones, which typically are grave markers, and the ogham writing contains the names of the deceased and his or her lineage. The writing is read from the bottom up, usually on the left side of the stone. Examples in our area can be found at Coolnagort, Dunloe Castle, Killarney; Aghadoe church near Killarney; and Kilmalkedar, Ballintaggart and Colaiste Ide near Dingle.