House - indeterminate date

The National Monuments Service's description

In wet pasture, 5m E of a tributary of the Camoge River. A second house of indeterminate date (LI023-066001-) lies 12m to NE. Not depicted on OSi historic maps. Identified by Ó Ríordáin and MacDermott (1949, 136-8) as a house of indeterminate date (Ballingoola IV). Excavated in 1948 and described as following; 'Before excavation Ballingoola IV presented the appearance of a low mound with a flat top - in the form of an inverted saucer. There was no hollow nor indication of the entrance was in Ballingoola III, and, while we had every reason to believe that the latter site would prove to be a dwelling, we were inclined to think that Ballingoolf IV was a burial mound. Excavation, however, yielded results similar to those of Ballingoola III. The position of house walls was indicated by a circular band of charcoal about 6m in diameter which appeared at a depth of 17 to 20 cm. The amount of charcoal was much less than in Ballingoola III and there was no burning of the clay as on that site, nor were there any indications of the
house having been re-built or altered. In general the evidence was of a less intensive occupation in Ballingoola IV, but of a house of construction similar to that on the neighbouring site. A spread of charcoal around the centre indicated the position of the hearth, but there were no successive layers and stones had not been laid down to give a base for it. At the entrance the ends of the ditch appeared, and between these and the house a spread of stones indicated that this area had been paved to provide an approach to the house' (Ó Ríordáin and MacDermott 1949, 136). Excavated monument is not visible on Digital Globe orthophotos taken 2011-13 and on Google Earth orthoimages taken 28/06/2018.

See attached location map and contour plan of Ballingoola IV after Ó Ríordáin and MacDermott 1949.

Compiled by: Alison McQueen and Vera Rahilly

Date of upload: 28 August 2020

References

Ó Ríordáin, S.P. and MacDermott, M. 1949 Lough Gur Excavations: Three marsh-land habitation sites. Journal of the Royal Society of Antiquaries of Ireland 79, 126-45.