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MHG7707 - Shielings, Braigh an Eireannaich

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NG86SW 1 837 602
(Centred; NG 837 601) Braigh an Eireannaich (NAT).
OS 6"map, Ross-shire, 2nd ed., (1905)

'Braigh an Eireannaich' is the name applied to a portion of rough pasture together with the ruins of dwellings, situated at the south western extremity of An Reidh-choise.
Name Book 1875, ref no. 41, 92

In a sheltered moorland valley between 850 ft and 1,000 ft OD., in the area round the confluence of Amhainn Alligin and a small burn, are the remains of 41 roughly-built dry-stone sheilings known as Briagh an Eireannaich, a name still known locally. The shielings, situated close to running water in rough pasture, are oval and circular. The average dimensions of the former are 4.5m x 3.2m, and they vary in height from grass-covered footings to 1.4m, whereas the latter measure 2.5m average diameter and vary from grass-covered footings to 0.7m high. In both cases, the walls are approx. 0.7m thick, and the entrance, where visible, is from 0.4m to 0.7m wide, generally facing the stream. A modern sheep fank has been constructed NE of the shielings, which were last used about 80 years ago.
Visited by OS (N K B) 7 April 1965.

Five unroofed shieling-huts and an unroofed structure, which may be the fank identified by the OS, are depicted on the 1st edition of the OS 6-inch map (Ross-shire 1881, sheet lxxxi). Thirty-two shieling-huts, marked as either dots or open circles, the unroofed structure and two unroofed buildings are shown on the current edition of the OS 1:10560 map (1969).
Information from RCAHMS (SAH) 24 April 1996

41 shielings were included in the walkover survey and desk-based assessment undertaken by J Wordsworth and J Harden at Torridon for the National Trust for Scotland in 1996-2002. They were roughly built drystone structures situated in a sheltered moorland area by the Amhainn Alligin. They clustered in two distinct areas centred around NG 839 599 and NG 838 602, with individual structures being sited to the W on the higher ground above.
The shieling structures were oval or circular with average dimensions 4.5m by 3.2m or 2.5m in diameter. The oval examples varied from grass-covered footings up to 1.4m high, but the circular ones were only up to 0.7m high. Both had walls c0.7m thick where they were obvious. The entrances generally faced the burn and were between c0.4m and 0.7m wide. 'They have been disused for around 80 years'.
A sheepfank had been built to the NE, at NG 838 603. <1>

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Map

Location

Grid reference	Centred NG 8376 6015 (228m by 423m) (2 map features)
Map sheet	NG86SW
Geographical Area	ROSS AND CROMARTY
Civil Parish	APPLECROSS

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