Habitation site

The National Monuments Service's description

Located on a low eroding cliff-edge, overlooking the NE end of Clashymore Harbour, on the S side of Inishmurray Island.
An excavation (00E0484) in 2000 at Ollamurray enclosure (SL001-005001-) and leacht (SL001-005002-) uncovered evidence for a phase of prehistoric activity at this location (O’Sullivan and Ó Carragáin 2008, 298-313). A small assemblage of worked flint/chert was recovered from a soil horizon which pre-dated the construction of the enclosure and leacht. The assemblage included fragments of tools, as well as debitage or waste flakes. A single fragment of a barbed-and-tanged flint arrowhead is probably of Bronze Age date. Also at this level were two pits (Wth c. 0.7m; D c. 0.8m), exposed in section in the eroding cliff face. The excavators concluded that, while these finds 'may simply represent transitory use of the site for fishing or seal hunting, the presence of debitage suggest more than a passing presence and the two pits recorded in the cliff face may be vestiges of a shelter, campsite, house or even enclosure.’ (O’Sullivan and Ó Carragáin 2008, 313).

Compiled by: Jane O'Shaughnessy

Date of upload: 19 February 2018

References

O'Sullivan J. and Ó Carragáin T. 2008 Inishmurray: Monks and Pilgrims in an Atlantic Landscape. Volume 1: Archaeological Survey and Excavations 1997-2000. The Collins Press. Cork.