Sweathouse, Altinure Road, Ballydonegan, Claudy, Co Londonderry

Sweathouse, Altinure Road, Ballydonegan, Claudy, County Londonderry

An underground sweathouse of considerable antiquity, situated in a secluded upland location close to the Clogherna Burn and adjacent to the abandoned Ballydonegan Clachan settlement. Local tradition records its use in the early 20th century, though the structure is believed to date from pre-1600.

The building comprises a small underground cavern appearing as a mound of large stones and earth, with its long axis set obliquely to the nearby mountain burn. The entrance, approximately 600mm wide by 450mm high, is level with the internal floor and situated about 2 metres above the stream bed. The cavern interior measures 9 feet 4 inches in length, 4 feet wide, and 6 feet high. The roof consists of large long stones spanning the short dimension, four of which form the main covering; a couple of these stones have slipped owing to a fallen oak branch from the opposite bank. The entrance is itself covered by four flag stones. Towards the rear of the mound, more or less level with the adjacent field, a rough hole approximately 300mm each way serves as a chimney. Earth and stones of considerable depth cover both the stone roof and doorway.

The sweathouse functioned as a thermal bathing establishment. Inhabitants troubled with bodily pains would kindle a large fire inside for several hours until the structure was properly heated. The fire was then removed and the patient entered naked, with the door closed like that of an oven, remaining until the whole body became moist with sweat. The person was then wrapped in warm clothes and removed home. The proximity to the stream allowed bathers to emerge and immediately plunge into cold water, akin to Scandinavian sauna practice. This therapeutic practice is believed to have been carried on for perhaps several centuries.

The mound is not easily located, being situated among gorse and bracken tucked into the side of a small glen, approximately 500 metres from the nearest dwelling. It does not appear on earlier Ordnance Survey maps, though it is indicated on the 1830 map revised in 1905. The Ordnance Survey Memoirs of 1833-34 provide detailed description and note that the structure was erected mostly in the situation of ancient caves, totally beneath the surface. The location was chosen for its seclusion from modern habitations and proximity to water. A local inhabitant recalls a man who used the sweathouse some 60 years before the record was compiled.