essay

The dynamic quality of Irish rural settlement

man and his habitat: essays presented to emyr estyn evansNew York • Published In 1971 • Pages: 126-164

By: McCourt, Desmond.

Abstract
This is a review of historical studies of Irish settlement patterns. Nucleated and communal land owning settlements were once considered by scholars to be traditional Celtic or tribal arrangements emerging from the Iron Age. However, recent studies reveal that a flexible scheme of nucleated and dispersed settlements and joint and individual ownership co-existed, and were influenced by terrain, soil fertility, type of farming, population size, and land fragmentation. A progressive subdivision of ancestral holdings led to the communal landholding [n]rundale[/n] system. The descendants of the founding families formed larger and wider kindred associations ([n]fine[/n]) whose members grouped their houses around the original family farmstead to form nucleated settlements, or [n]clachans[/n]. The breakup of the [n]rundale[/n] system occurred when Anglo-Norman landlords confiscated land to form their estates. By 1780 less than five percent of Irish land remained in native hands. Dispersed settlements predominate, although nucleated settlements are still found in remote parts of the island.
Subjects
Historical and archival research
Topography and geology
Tillage
Settlement patterns
Real property
Renting and leasing
Household
Kin relationships
Kindreds and ramages
culture
Rural Irish
HRAF PubDate
2016
Region
Europe
Sub Region
British Isles
Document Type
essay
Evaluation
Creator Type
Historian
Document Rating
4: Excellent Secondary Data
Analyst
Ian Skoggard; 2014
Field Date
not applicable
Coverage Date
1650-1900
Coverage Place
Ireland
Notes
Desmond McCourt
Includes bibliographical references
LCCN
77029113
LCSH
Ireland--Rural conditions