House - early medieval

The National Monuments Service's description

Between September 1990 and January 1991 remote sensing and trial trenching was carried out at a ringfort (KK024-010001-) in Dunbell Big (Cassidy 1990, 38-9; Cassidy 1991, 18-20). Excavations in the interior uncovered the foundation trench of a 6m square structure (Cassidy 1990, 39). According to Cassidy (1991, 19), ‘The square house had wall foundation trenches cut into bedrock and therefore most of its outline survived. The walls appear to have been wattle-built as suggested by the presence of evenly spaced posthole bases (c. 50cm apart) and the recovery in the foundation trenches of some charcoal pieces c. 2-3cm in diameter which may have been the remains of wattle. There would appear to have been an entrance midway along the east wall where the foundation gully was interrupted. Internally s substantial post-pit suggests a centrally supported roof, perhaps pyramidal in style, its apex supported by the central post and the corner supports resting on the four corners of the house walls. There were other postholes inside the house which may have acted as the base for a trestle-framed internal roof support, but even then the use of the central post still seems unlikely…Other internal features include evidence of a hearth area to the north-east and some pit remains. Preliminary assessment of radiocarbon dates for the square house suggest a date in the eight century AD’. A circular structure (KK024-010007-) was uncovered immediately to the S (ibid. 19-20).

Compiled by: Jean Farrelly

Date of upload: 9 November 2021

References

Cassidy, B. 1991 Digging at Dunbell Big. Archaeology Ireland 5, no. 2, 18-20.

Cassidy, B. 1991 Dunbell ringfort No. 5, Dunbell Big. In I. Bennett (ed.), Excavations 1990: summary accounts of excavations in Ireland, 38-9. Bray. Wordwell.