Enclosure

The National Monuments Service's description

Situated within the complex of ecclesiastical remains at Kill: it lies 125m to NW of the Abbey (MA085-013001-) in flat, marshy enclosed land that is mantled by rushes and flags. There is a holy well (MA085-013004-) in the interior. An altar (MA085-013003-) and an unclassified mound (MA085-013010-) lie immediately outside it to SW and SSE, respectively.

The enclosure is described by Westropp (1911, 29) as ‘a levelled enclosure’. What is visible is the faint outline of a small enclosure of irregular plan. From N, through E to SE, it is defined by an arc of grassed-over but stony bank (Wth 1.4–2.0m, H 0.2m max.) visible as a band of dryer ground amidst the rushes. This bank is overlain at N by a tangential field boundary which can be traced for c. 32m running roughly E–W: possible the field boundary shown on the OS maps to N of the well and altar. While it extends well beyond the limits of the enclosure, the central portion of this boundary appears to preserve/incorporate the enclosure’s northern sector. This central portion consists of a dilapidated stretch of double-faced drystone wall (L 14.3m, Wth c. 0.75m, H 0.6m max.) with a slight dog-leg appearance on plan. The longer part of the dog-leg (L 9.2m) follows a WSW–ENE axis before bending slightly to take up NW–SE axis (L 5m). Though no trace of curving banks/walls is visible elsewhere, a right-angled segment of drystone wall now forms the enclo- sure’s limits along its S (L 7m) and W (L 5.3m) sides. Only its foundations (Wth 1m, H 0.25m) now survive, but it appears to have been a well- built double-faced wall that again appears as a grassy band in the rushes. These discrete earthen and stone elements may represent a number of phases of demarcation. In their present combined form, they form an irregularly-shaped enclosure with overall dimensions of 12.6m N–S by 11m E–W which closely match the dimensions given by Westropp (1911). Roughly centrally placed within it is the holy well, but there are two gaps in its line, one at SE (Wth 0.8m) and a larger one (Wth 3.9m) at NW.

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.

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