Crannog

The National Monuments Service's description

On the shore of Lough Kinale. One of three 'crannogs' (see also LF011-065002- and LF011-081----) recorded by Raftery at Lough Kinale in May 1969 (NMI Topgraphical File). A small rounded knoll (diam. c. 5m) rising 0.4m above the lakeshore, inspected in 2001, was considered as possibly being Raftery’s ‘Kinale 2’ (Fredengren et al. 2010, 137) and connected with the Mesolithic assemblage (LF011-066001-). A number of lithics were found in 2002 just a little to the west of this feature at the shore edges. Excavations of this area in 2003 and 2004 also included the small knoll and two causeway-like features, c. 16m apart, represented by ‘arms’ of compressed soil that stretched out into the waters from an earlier shoreline. The E causeway measured 21.3m in length and 5–6.3m in width, while the western one measured 18.3m in length and 6m in width. The excavations revealed layers of gravel, wood, peat, charcoal and ashes and that the two arms had been constructed by placing small stones on linear natural rises in the lake-bed. Associated with these structures were numerous late Mesolithic artifacts. At lower levels the edges of the site consisted of brushwood and worked timbers. Radiocarbon dates have confirmed a Mesolithic occupation that included the numerous ash spreads and hearths. This demonstrated that fires had been burned here on numerous occasions and that it had been returned to many times (Fredengren 2006; 2007; Fredengren et al. 2010, 137 8, Area B)

Compiled by: Christina Fredengren, Paul Walsh

Date of upload: 13 January 2013

References

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. 2006 Derragh, Mesolithic. In I. Bennett (ed.), Excavations 2003: summary accounts of archaeological excavations in Ireland, 318-19. Bray. Wordwell.

Fredengren, C. 2007 Derragh Mesolithic. In I. Bennett (ed.), Excavations 2004: summary accounts of archaeological excavations in Ireland, 251. Bray. Wordwell.