Tiree Township: Kenavara
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ACFA books published
ACFA have produced four Occasional Papers about Tiree: Ben Hynish, Kenavara, Kilmoluaig and Scarinish. These are the results of ten years of field work. They contain a gazetteer of structures, ranging from prehistoric cairns to post-medieval houses.
They are available to read and purchase at An Iodhlann. -
Cairn, Kenavara
A fishing mark or meid. See Tùr an t-Saighdeir -
Clachan Lò, Kenavara
A basalt dyke at the tip of Kenavara has been used, at least since the late nineteenth century, to carve initials. -
An Uamh Mhor or Uamh an Oir, Kenavara
Dr John Holliday inside ‘The Cave of Gold’ on Kenavara’. It is about 50m deep, 10m wide, and very high.
The entrance to this sea cave is about 3 m above Spring High Tide Mark, and it is likely that this was below sea level during the Holocene Marine Transgression. As such, it is unlikely to contain anything older than the Late Mesolithic. The floor is thick with guano.
There is said to be a structure at its entrance known as Leapaidh Nighean Righ Lochlainn ‘the bed of the daughter of the King of Norway’.
See Longships on the Sand, p. 660. -
Possible fort site: Eilean na Ba
Eilean na Ba, Kenavara * -
Dun or fort site: Dun nan Gall
DUN NAN GALL
Euan MacKie
NL934408. This site has not yet been planned, being in an extremely inaccessible position on a cliff coast-line, but some wheelhouse type sherds were recovered from a midden with an exposed section nearby.
Discovery and Excavation in Scotland 1963, pp. 20–1.
Beveridge, E. (1903) ‘Tiree and Coll’. p. 97. -
Photograph of Holleyman at St Patrick’s Temple
Coloured photograph of ‘Ruined Temple, Kenavara’, 1941-43, taken by archaeologist George Holleyman FSA when he was stationed at RAF Tiree during WWII. Scanned from one of his hand-coloured glass lantern slides now held at An Iodhlann (see 2017.54.4). This is Saint Patrick’s Chapel with Travee (Balephuil Beach) beyond. -
Possible Early Medieval harbours on Mull and Tiree
Photocopy of an academic paper ‘Dun Ara: a Norse-period harbour in Mull?’ by Dr James Petre, 2020. Explores the history of the site known as Dun Ara in Mishnish, north Mull. Comparisons are made with sites at Dun Mor Vaul, Kenavara and Milton, Tiree. A digital copy of the full article is held in An Iodhlann.