Tirkane Sweathouse
Introduction
The photograph on this page of Tirkane Sweathouse by Kenneth Allen as part of the Geograph project.
The Geograph project started in 2005 with the aim of publishing, organising and preserving representative images for every square kilometre of Great Britain, Ireland and the Isle of Man.
There are currently over 7.5m images from over 14,400 individuals and you can help contribute to the project by visiting https://www.geograph.org.uk
Tirkane Sweathouse
Image: © Kenneth Allen Taken: 17 Oct 2007
Nestled in a secluded area located 2.5 miles to the North West of Maghera, is a well preserved Sweathouse. It was a type of early sauna, used in Ireland in the 18th and 19th centuies, but its origins may date back much further. It is a rectangular structure built against the side of a hill with a roof made of flat stones with a small chimney hole in one corner. The floor is paved with stone. According to 'Ancient Monuments of Ireland, Vol. 2' these Sweat Houses are the primitive fore runner for the modern Turkish bath, which are now in Germany as Irish Baths. There are only a few such sweathouses remaining in Northern Ireland. http://www.megalithicireland.com/Tirkane.htm
Images are licensed for reuse under creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0
Image Location
Latitude
54.862524
Longitude
-6.714411