Settlement platform

The National Monuments Service's description

National monument No. 247. Possibly lakeshore settlement platform rather than a stone circle which is depicted standing on the present N shoreline of Lough Gur on the current edition of the OS 6-inch map. This area was under the water of the lake on the first edition OS 6-inch map and no monument was indicated at this location. The water level of the lake was lowered when Lough Gur was partially drained in the late 1830s (Harkness 1869, 395). Today a small circle of low orthostats stand on reclaimed land at N side of Lough Gur. Ringfort (LI032-014003-), field system (LI032-014004-) and stone circle/ settlement platform (LI032-014005-) lie 50m to E and crannog (LI032-012----) lies 240m to W.
Doubtful stone circle described in 1978 as following 'if this were ever intended as a stone circle it is a poor example. It is situated about 50m to the west of the last site and only a short distance from the lake. It is oval rather than circular, average diam. 11m. There are large spaces between the stones which are low, none of them more than 75cm in height. There is no bank' (O'Kelly and O'Kelly 1978, 42). In 1912 this site was recorded as circle 'T' and described as following; 'This is a stone circle situated not very far from Lough Gur House. Strictly speaking, it is not a circle, since its larger diameter is 44 feet [13m] and its smaller 30 feet [9m], but it is a, complete ring or oval of stones of considerable size. The compass-bearing of the long axis is 288 degrees. Though the stones of which it consists are of considerable size, they are low, none of them being more than 2 feet 6 inches [0.7m] in height' (Windle 1912, 304-5).
In 1944 the monument was described as following; 'If this monument were intended as a stone circle it is a very poor one. It is oval in shape, the larger diameter being 44' [13m] and the smaller 30' [9m]. The stones are large low boulders, none of them more than 2' 6" [0.7m] high. There are large spaces between each pair and there is no supporting bank of any kind. It is situated on a piece of level ground at the S.W base of Knockfennel Hill' (O'Kelly 1944, 47).
This oval-shaped setting of stones may represent the kerbing of a lakeshore settlement platform as the monument was originally located on the surface of the water in Lough Gur. It is possible that these stone settings are entirely natural with no archaeological significance, Ó Ríordáin (1949, 57) described a similar setting at the spectacles (LI032-014012-) which when excavated turned out be a natural feature of no archaeological significance.

Compiled by: Caimin O'Brien

Date of upload: 20 May 2018

References

O'Kelly, M.J., and O'Kelly, C. 1978 Illustrated guide to Lough Gur, Co. Limerick. Cork. Author.

Ó Ríordáin, S.P. 1949 Lough Gur excavations: Carraig Aille and the Spectacles. Proceedings of the Royal Irish Academy 52 C, 39-111.

Harkness, R. Prof. 1869 The prehistoric antiquities of and around Lough Gur. Quarterly Journal of Science, 388-96.

O'Kelly, M.J. 1944 A survey of the antiquities in the barony of Small County, Co. Limerick. North Munster Antiquarian Journal 4, 16-53.

Windle, B. 1912 Megalithic remains surrounding
Lough Gur, Co. Limerick. Proceedings of the Royal
Irish Academy 30C, 283–306.

Harbison, P. 1970 (Reprint 1992) Guide to the national monuments in the Republic of Ireland. Dublin. Gill and Macmillan.