More Irish Walls

Of all the Irish walls I've visited, this one on Calf Islands just off Schull Village on the Mizen Peninsular was one of the most difficult to photo,as it involved a long trip in my kayak. (Perhaps an hours paddling) These three islands are now deserted.

 Sherkin Island, a little further east also has some interesting walls.

Co. Clare, Karst limestone country.  A wall built about 1995, made from large boulders but topped off with limestone slabs.

 A large 'consumption' wall.  These are so named as they were probably built to 'consume' the cleared stones when the field was brought into cultivation.  Thats my dog, Jilly.

Shiners much despised by many UK wallers are large stones placed with their largest surface showing.  They are commonly used in Ireland to fend off farm traffic on corners.  They are still being used.  This one on a farm entrance in Lissacaha North, Schull, West Cork

A Galloway dyke or its Irish name a Fiedín wall is a drystone wall built with a double row of stones at the bottom and a single row of stones above that.  They are commonest in the Limestone counties in the west of Ireland.  But this lonesome example straddles the mountain of Galtee More on the borders of Tipperary, Wexford & Cork.  It runs right across the summit at 919 meters.  In addition it has an exceptionally neat top.   Alas this section was the best.  Gravity, sheep and humans have damaged much of the rest.

It was the only example I've seen in the south and south east of Eire.  I believe it was constructed as a 'famine wall', which paid the poor and hungry to build it as an early form of welfare payment.  But why this style of contstruction?.  There was/is plenty of loose material on the summits.

This information provided by Sunny Weiler of the DSWA (Ireland) "The Galtee Wall was built in 1878 by John Thomas, 6th Baron Massy from behind the hill at the rear of Massy Lodge to the western slopes of Galtymore Mountain. It took 30- 40 men four years to build and acted as a boundary between the estates of Galtee Castle and the Massy estates. The main reason for building the wall was to give employment to local small farmers during a period of economic depression. There is a cottage in a valley in the foot hills that is believed to have homed a scottish family. The small farm has some great walls around it aswell as a unusual sheep enclosure." Probably built under the direction of a Scottish waller.