Ruaival Village

Ruaival Village, straddling the only fresh water supply on the island, the river Leigas, was a motley collection of stone-built huts clustered together. The village was open to the elements all the year round. Outlying farmsteads were nestled in the folds in the landscape as far as Oiseval to the east and Mullach to the west. A simple stone jetty protected the river mouth, battered and scarred from the gales over the centuries. Dry stone wall enclosures criss-cross ed between the houses to shelter the livestock in the winter months. In this part of the island, there were no trees, just bracken and long grass that faded away and up into the highlands. The village was completely deserted exept for a few sheep and goats. The houses showed no signs of recent habitation. To the north of the village there were some graves.