The excavation, carried out in 2001 ahead of pier development works, revealed five stone structures in varying states of decay, along with cultivation ridges known as lazy-beds and an old boundary wall. The discovery offers a tangible glimpse into the early colonial period when English and Scottish settlers were encouraged to establish new communities throughout Ireland.

The most substantial finds were two adjoining buildings, designated Structures 3a and 3b, situated on the lower part of the island. Structure 3a was the larger of the two, stretching 12 metres long and 6 metres wide with distinctive rounded ends; a design typical of vernacular Irish architecture from this period. Its walls, built from large boulders and smaller stones bound with clay, survived to about 80 centimetres high, though the eastern wall had almost entirely collapsed over the centuries. The southern section featured a floor of tightly fitted flagstones, which intriguingly incorporated two broken rotary quernstones, suggesting the residents were grinding their own grain. The adjacent Structure 3b was similar in construction, and notably, neither building showed evidence of a fireplace, which raises questions about how the inhabitants kept warm during harsh Atlantic winters.

Nearly 200 pottery sherds recovered from the site helped date the settlement to the 1600s, aligning with historical records of Killybegs’ plantation period. The excavation, led by Frank Coyne of Aegis Archaeology Ltd, not only preserved these structures from destruction but also provided valuable archaeological evidence of how early plantation settlements were organised and constructed. The compacted clay and gravel floors, the practical reuse of quernstones as building material, and the simple but sturdy construction methods all speak to the resourcefulness of these early colonists attempting to establish a foothold on this exposed Atlantic outpost.