House — early medieval in Kimego West

(4) (KE079-016007-) This, the largest of the Leacanabuaile houses, was built against the E face of house (1) thus incorporating the entrance to the latter in its structure. Rectangular in plan, it measures 7.15m x 6.15m internally and features a 1m wide doorway at ESE. Its side-walls, preserved up to 1.5m high at W, average 2m in basal width and are battered inwards on both faces. The walls are well-faced internally and are neatly bonded at the corners. Externally, the corners are somewhat rounded. Excavation revealed four large postholes in the interior of the building, which indicated that its roof may have been a thatched or sod-covered timber construction supported on posts set in the floor. The excavators suggested that a large holed stone, found over-lying the occupation layers in the house, may have been set in the roof to serve as a smoke-hole. A slab-covered drain (KE079-016002-) ran from just inside the doorway of the house across the interior of the caher and out through its entrance. The above description is derived from A. O'Sullivan and J. Sheehan (compilers), 'The Iveragh peninsula: an archaeological survey of South Kerry'. Cork University Press (1996), no. 602. In certain instances the entries have been revised and updated in the light of recent research. Date of upload: 29 July 2013 This monument is subject to a preservation order made under the National Monuments Acts 1930 to 2014 (PO no. 85/1940).