House

Situated within ‘Doonallia’ promontory fort (MA075-005001-), the most easterly of the cluster of three houses (MA075-005003-, MA075-005004-, MA075-005005-) situated on the landward side at the higher, southern end of the platform. It is situated immediately to NE and slightly downslope from MA075-005003-. The site comprises a substantial but irregularly defined house of roughly rectangular plan (NNW–SSE c. 4.8m, ENE–WSW c. 5m). It is delimited by a grassy bank of varying width and height. In width, it varies from a narrow bank (Wth 1m) along S to a wide degraded one (Wth 2.5m) at NE. In height too, it varies from a low regular, rounded profile along S side (H 0.35m) to a high but irregular one (H 0.8m internally) along E. A shallow grassed-over pit has been dug into the line of the bank at the south-eastern corner (dia. c. 1.1m, D. 0.15m). A gap in the bank (Wth 1m) about midway along the eastern side probably marks the original entrance. The interior is flat but marshy underfoot and is thronged with rushes. Despite the proximity of the three houses and the ‘sharing’ of a portion of bank between MA075-005004- and the site, their sequence of construction is unclear from surface features alone. 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