House - early medieval

The National Monuments Service's description

On the SE-facing slopes of Bray Head on Valencia Island. The remains of the N portion of this circular house were excavated in 1997 (Hayden 1997). The walls (T 0.65-75m) consisted of a low earthen and stone mound along the W arc, of two vertically set stones lining a clay core at NW, and of an arc of large stones which curved around to the N and E. It was not possible to determine which of the stones in the latter section were in situ or were the result of collapse. The W wall may have been largely cleared away when an adjacent house (KE087-025010-) was built. The S half of the house was truncated by a field boundary. The excavation of this and another house (KE087-025012-) showed that they belonged to Phase V in a successive sequence of at least six phases of construction in this particular area of Bray Head. (Hayden 1997; Hayden 1998, 81-2)

The above description is derived from the published 'Archaeological Inventory of County Kerry. Volume I: South-West Kerry' (Dublin: Stationery Office, 2009). In certain instances the entries have been revised and updated in the light of recent research.

Date of upload: 30 May 2011