A Clochan is a dry-stone hut with a corbelled roof, commonly associated with the south-western Irish seaboard. The precise construction date of most of these structures is unknown with any degree of certainty. The clochan has been described in the 7th to 8th century law Crith Gablach. (The text goes into details on the grades of commoners and nobility: what property should they own, how large should their house be, how should their client ship be arranged. Clochans are most commonly round beehive huts, but rectangular plans are known as well. It has been suggested that the rectangular footprints date to a later era. Some Clochans are not completely built of stone, and may have possessed a thatched roof. The walls are very thick, up to 1.5 metres. Sometimes several clochans are joined together by their walls.
