House - indeterminate date

The National Monuments Service's description

Situated within ‘Doonallia’ promontory fort (MA075-005001-): it lies on the landward side at the narrow northern end of the platform, some 19m NNE and downslope from the other huts (MA075-005003-, MA075-005004-, MA075-005005).

The house site comprises a small, well-defined subcircular enclosure (NNE–SSW 4.85m, WNW–ESE >3.5m) that sits right on the platform edge. Part of its western side has been eroded away, so what is visible is a roughly U-shaped grassy bank that is fern-clad in summer. The bank survives from N through E and S to WSW and is remarkably regular in profile, being up to 0.65m above the exterior at NE and 0.7m above the interior at S. The interior itself is flat and grassy. No definite trace of an entrance survives: a narrow gap (Wth 0.5m) at ESE is probably the result of trampling. Nothing of note was visible in the section face along the cliff edge at time of visit. This is labelled by Westropp (1911a, 21) as ‘the eastern hut’ (see also Westropp 1914, 325).

The above description is derived from: New Survey of Clare Island. Volume 5: Archaeology. Edited by Paul Gosling, Conleth Manning and John Waddell. (Royal Irish Academy, Dublin. 2007). In certain instances the entries have been revised and updated.

Date of upload: 29 November 2018

References

Westropp, T.J. 1911 Clare Island survey: history and archaeology. Proceedings of the Royal Irish Academy 31, Section 1, Part 2, 1-78.

Westropp, T.J. 1914 The promontory forts and early remains of the islands of Connacht. Journal of the Royal Society of Antiquaries of Ireland 44, 297-337.

Gosling, P., Manning, C. and Waddell, J. (eds.) 2007 New Survey of Clare Island, Volume 5: Archaeology. Dublin, Royal Irish Academy.