Crannog

The National Monuments Service's description

In a bay in the S part of Lough Kinale, c. 100m from its W shoreline. This oval, high cairn crannog (29.6 N–S; 22.7m E–W) rises 2.7m above the lake bed. It is densely covered with trees and vegetation and is surrounded by reed beds. Located slightly off centre in the SW sector is a small, oval, mid cairn (c. 7.4m E–W; 5.8m N S; H c. 0.5m) composed of loose stones. This is surrounded by a plateau of packed stones covered by a sporadic layer of recent organic matter. The stones, which are shattered and comparably small (0.04–0.05m in general), are mixed with some larger ones and two animal bone samples were recovered from this stony layer at the NE. The surface is firm but there are some topographical differences within the island. Two stone, arm like extensions with a central stone floor are visible at the water’s edge at the NE: this may be a harbour feature. A high concentration of exposed horizontally laid timbers was recorded at the NE edge of the crannog under a thin layer of shattered stones and these may represent parts of decking or, more likely, the collapsed remnants of a palisade. Adjacent to the shore are a series of vertical posts that may have also belonged to such a feature and a survey of the crannog in 1987 also recorded a series of posts in this area (Farrell et al. 1989, 130 1). This survey found evidence in three separate areas that stones had been laid down over a framework of timbers that appeared to be held in place by posts driven vertically into the body of the crannog. It also established that the crannog was made up of ‘a series of radial timbers tied together at essential points with split planks’ (Farrell and Brady n. d., 3). Most of the timbers were of oak though birch and pine were also used. An offshore palisade of birch was also recorded during the 1987 survey from the N E S leaving a gap of c. 40m on the lakeshore side. The palisade followed the shape of the island and was c. 20m from it rather than forming a perfect circle around it; this was confirmed by further survey in 2002 (Fredengren et al. 2010, 155). The finds from the crannog include an 8th century book shrine, discovered on the lake bed in 1986 c. 20 to the SE of the island (Farrell et al. 1987, 124 9; Kelly 1991, 2006), a leaf shaped iron spearhead, stick and ringed pins, mounts, nails, various pieces of worked wood, and an iron share and coulter of a medieval plough (Fredengren et al. 2010, 156). In 2002 further limited underwater survey and sampling were undertaken at this monument. The survey identified a timber structure under the main cairn material dating from the middle/later part of the early medieval period, which corresponds with the early and later medieval artefacts retrieved from the site. Environmental investigations indicate that the crannog was constructed in the early 7th century AD, was augmented in the early 9th century and possibly rebuilt in the late 12th century (Fredengren et al. 2010, 156). (Farrell et al. 1989; Fredengren 2004d, 353)

Compiled by: Christina Fredengren, Paul Walsh

Date of upload: 13 January 2013

References

Kelly, E.P. 1991 Observations on Irish lake-dwellings. In C. Karkov and R. Ruffing (eds.), Studies in insular art and archaeology, 81-98. Cornell. American Early Medieval studies.

Farrell, R., Kelly, E.P. and Gowan, M. 1989 The crannog archaeology project (CAP): a preliminary report. Irish Journal of Nautical Archaeology 18(2), 123-36.

Farrell, R.T. and Brady, N. n.d. Recent research on crannogs in the Irish midlands: the Crannog Archaeology Project (CAP). Unpublished paper, SMR file LF011-035----, National Monuments Service, Department of Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht, Dublin.

Fredengren, C., Kilfeather, A., and Stuijts, I. 2010 Lough Kinale: studies of an Irish lake. Lake settlement project. Discovery Programme Monograph No. 8. Wordwell Ltd.

Fredengren, C. 2004d Tonymore North. In I. Bennett (ed.), Excavations 2002: summary accounts of archaeological excavations in Ireland, 353. Bray. Wordwell. 11.35

Kelly, E.P. 2006 Secuity and sanctity: the ecclesiastical metalwork of Lough Kinale. Irish Arts Review 23(1), 106-9.