House - indeterminate date, Reachlainn Uí Bhirn, Co. Donegal

House – indeterminate date, Reachlainn Uí Bhirn, Co. Donegal

In the rugged landscape of Reachlainn Uí Bhirn, County Donegal, the faint outline of a rectangular building emerges from an oval spread of rubble, offering a tantalising glimpse into Ireland's past.

House - indeterminate date, Reachlainn Uí Bhirn, Co. Donegal

Measuring 6.2 metres by 3.1 metres internally, this modest structure sits just 8 metres north of another archaeological feature known as structure 8. Today, its walls lie flush with the ground, and the interior is cluttered with collapsed stonework, making it difficult to determine its original purpose or exact age.

The building’s simple rectangular footprint suggests domestic use, though archaeologists remain cautious about drawing definitive conclusions. Michael Herity, writing in 1995, proposed that it might represent a secular dwelling from the late medieval or post-medieval period; a theory that would place it somewhere between the 14th and 18th centuries. Such vernacular buildings were common throughout rural Ireland during these periods, typically serving as homes for tenant farmers or labourers who worked the surrounding lands.

Archaeological documentation of the site, compiled by Paul Walsh in 1983 and updated in 2014, reveals little more than these physical remains can tell us. Without excavation or further investigation, the building remains an enigmatic piece of Donegal’s archaeological puzzle, its stones holding secrets about the daily lives of those who once called this remote corner of Ireland home. The site serves as a reminder that not all historical structures come with grand narratives; sometimes they simply mark the quiet persistence of ordinary life in the Irish countryside.

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Walsh, P. 1983 The monastic settlement on Rathlin O’Birne Island, County Donegal. Journal of the Royal Society of Antiquaries of Ireland, 113, 53-66. Herity, M. 1995 Two Island Hermitages in the Atlantic: Rathlin O’Birne, Donegal, and Caher Island, Mayo. Journal of the Royal Society of Antiquaries of Ireland, 125, 85-128.
Reachlainn Uí Bhirn, Co. Donegal
54.6639762, -8.82575544
54.6639762,-8.82575544
Reachlainn Uí Bhirn 
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