House - medieval

The National Monuments Service's description

On the NE side of a small, hazel-filled canyon that opens to the SW, with a rock-face (H c. 6-8m) rising c. 5m to the NE while the ground to the SW slopes gently down to the canyon floor. Indicated as a rectangular structure and labelled ‘Tenabrawher (in Ruins)’ on the OS 25-inch plan (1897) and the Cassini edition (1920) of the OS 6-inch map. Named ‘Tigh na mBráthar site’ on Robinson’s map of the Burren (1977) – the name apparently derived from a local belief that this ‘House of the Friars’ was the home of ‘the priests who officiated in Cill-mic-Ui-Donain’ (Macnamara 1897, 79), a medieval church (CL017-018----) c. 225m to the SW. Listed as ‘Potential site - name’ in the RMP (1996). This rectangular structure (int. dims. 5.35m NW-SE; 2.8m NE-SW; ext. dims. 6.65m NW-SE; 4m NE-SW) is defined by a low, double-faced wall (Wth 0.45-0.75m; H 0.2-0.5m). The SE end of the structure is filled with rubble (1m NW-SE; H 0.6m). Macnamara (ibid.) noted rounded quoinstones in the walls, and a doorway (Wth 3’ / c. 0.91m) in the centre of the SW wall. A later drystone wall is built on the original wall. Nearby are several small rectangular fields (L c. 10-20m NW-SE; Wth c. 10m NE-SW) defined by hazel-covered walls composed of large boulders and associated collapsed walling (combined Wth 2-3m; H 0.5m). A bullaun stone (CL017-019001-) lies c. 27m to the W.

Reference
Macnamara, G.U. 1897 Identification of "The Ascetic's Church," Leana, Co. Clare. Journal of the Royal Society of Antiquaries of Ireland 7, 77-79.

Compiled by: Gearóid Conroy and Conn Herriott

Date of upload: 18 July 2023

References

Robinson, T. 1977 (revised 1999) The Burren: a two-inch map of the uplands of north-west Clare. Map scale 1:31680. Roundstone: Folding Landscapes.