Located roughly 9km northeast of Donegal town, along the steep western slopes of the Corraber River valley, these archaeological sites emerged from beneath the trees when Regional Environmental Manager John Williams spotted unusual features during harvesting work. What began as the discovery of a single site soon expanded into something far more significant; once the entire area was cleared, archaeologist Emmet Byrnes documented an extensive complex of historical structures that had escaped all previous mapping efforts.

The most intriguing find was a completely unrecorded farmstead, built on a low knoll beside the Corraber River near a series of ancient stepping stones. This settlement included the foundations of two small cottages, one measuring 9m by 4m and the other 8m by 5m, both featuring two rooms typical of rural Irish dwellings of the period. A circular limekiln, measuring 2.1m in diameter, stood nearby with its funnel opening into an attached sub-rectangular structure, whilst a larger wedge-shaped building, likely a byre for housing livestock, completed the farmyard. The site's strategic position near the river crossing and its collection of dry-stone walls and well-worn trackways suggest this was once a thriving agricultural hub, despite its absence from both the Ordnance Survey's 6-inch and 25-inch maps.

Beyond this main farmstead, the cleared forest revealed an entire landscape of rural life. Two conjoined turf-built cottages, constructed primarily from cut peat with incorporated boulders, stood 60m north of the central farm. Further exploration uncovered a garraí, or traditional garden plot, cleverly positioned on a natural terrace, complete with dry-stone revetting and what appears to be either a booleying hut or animal pen. Seven clearance cairns scattered across the site speak to generations of field improvement, whilst the presence of possible booleying huts suggests the area supported seasonal pastoral activities, where herders would bring cattle to summer pastures. This hidden settlement cluster, designated DG085-006 in the archaeological record, offers a rare glimpse into the forgotten communities that once dotted these Donegal hillsides, their stories preserved only by chance beneath decades of commercial forestry.