House — early medieval in Clonmacnoise

In 1991 H. King opened cutting 3 (dims. 6m x 4m) in the W quadrant of the new graveyard at Clonmacnoise which was located to the N of cutting 2 of the 1990 excavation. In cutting 3 the excavator discovered the remains of a circular house (diam. 7.5m) with central stone lined hearth was sitting above a layer of charcoal darkened earth. The wall of the house was represented by stone foundations three courses in height running in a N-S direction at the E side of the cutting. The wall was built of boulders ranging in size from c. 0.2m in diameter to 0.7m and was better faced externally than internally. There was no evidence for posts within the wall and the stone foundation may have supported a sod wall. To the E of the wall of the house there were layers of gravel and sand which may represent a path or gravelled surface immediately outside the house. Both hearth and wall were disturbed by ridge and furrow cultivation. Finds from the house would suggest a date from the late seventh or early eighth-century. The ogham stone (OF005-027004-) was found immediately outside the E wall of the house and it bears evidence of having being re-used as a sharpening stone, possibly by the inhabitants of the round house. (King, H. 1991, 'Preliminary report on the 1991 excavations in the New Graveyard at Clonmacnoise, Co. Offaly') Compiled by: Caimin O'Brien. Date of upload: 23 May 2011