House

Situated on the commonage, at the foot of a slight break of slope on the lower south-eastern flanks of Knockmore. A small stream, comprising three to four shallow channels flows by immediately to E. The house sits at the upslope end of a zone of faint tillage ridges that appear to represent the former upper limit of cultivation in this area. It consists of an annular space (5.8m NNW–SSE, 5.6m ENE–WSW) with a wide gap at E, on downslope side. From SE through S, W and N to ENE, it is delimited by a well-defined stony, grassed-over earthen bank. The bank is widest (3.5m) and highest (1.1m) at SSE. Traces of a stone foundation are visible externally from SSE though S to SSW, consisting of a single course of stones (H 0.2m). However, at E the bank simply peters out leaving a wide gap (Wth 3.2m). There are two other narrow gaps on upslope side, at N and NW, but these are probably of recent vintage: surface run-off flowed through them at time of visit. The grassy interior is roughly level and stone-free but much waterlogged. These remains are most probably those of a shelter or (less likely) a house associated with the adjacent tillage ridges. 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