Settlement cluster

The National Monuments Service's description

National monument No. 247. Deserted settlement cluster excavated by S. P. Ó Ríordáin who dated the site to the early Christian period. Marked on the OS map as the 'Spectacles' the site is located on the E side of Lough Gur in an area of rock outcrop marked on the OS 6-inch map as 'Drumlaegh'. Bolin Island (LI032-027---) on Lough Gur lies 220m to the S, standing stone (LI032-014011-) 160m to the WSW, the E shoreline of Lough Gur now lies 50m to the W. Prior to excavation the site was described by Ó Ríordáin as following; 'The circular hut showed clearly before excavation and drew our attention to the site. So also did the ancient field fences which bounded the small field in which the hut stood, and in the second next field to the south the higher stones of the walls of the rectangular hut (D) could be seen. These dwelling sites are on a shelf of land (about 100 yards long, north to south, by 35 yards wide) which slopes slightly towards the lake to the west. It is bounded on the east by a rock face which rises to the hill side above, while on the west the rock drops almost vertically to the road bordering the lake' (Ó Ríordáin 1949, 58).
Settlement site described by O'Kelly (1944, 29) as following; 'Called The Spectacles on the O.S. map. The name arose because there was one circular hut and what appeared from surface indications to be another, side by side. Excavation showed that one of the circles marked was just a chance arrangement of out-cropping rocks. The other was a well built structure, the wall base being constructed of two stone facings with a rubble filling between. The entrance was on the W side and from it a paved causeway ran to the edge of the little plateau on which the hut stands. Divided off from this by ancient field walls were two other huts, one of which was oval and constructed of posts, the other being rectangular and of stone. The finds indicated a date in the Early Christian Period, but the occupation may have gone on for a considerable time'.
Described in 1978 as a group of three huts, an animal shelter and associated field system were uncovered when the site was excavated. These excavated features were described as following; 'House A. This was approximately circular with an internal diam. of 4.5m and a wall about a metre thick. Postholes inside and outside the wall suggested that the upper part of the house was of mud or turves and that the thatched roof was borne on the posts rather than on the walls. The doorway had a protecting porch outside it and a paved path led from it to a series of rough steps at the plateau edge leading to the lake. There were two hearths within the house.
Beyond the field wall adjacent to House A, were two further structures, House B, oval in plan and marked mainly by postholes, and House C, a long narrow structure, probably an animal shelter. In the next ancient field to the south was House D, rectangular in plan and measuring 4m by 3.6m internally. Between House D and the western edge of the plateau there were fragmentary remains of other structures, perhaps animal shelters also. The finds are similar to those from the Carraig Aille forts and houses - fragments of bronze ring-pins, iron knives, bone combs, spindle whorls, whetstones, jet bracelets, glass beads, querns, etc. On the evidence of these, the excavator (Ó Ríordáin 1949, 57-62) suggested that the period of occupation was probably the same as for the Carraig Aille sites, that is, 8th to 10th or possibly 11th century AD.' (O'Kelly and O'Kelly 1978, 39-40).

This monument is subject to a preservation order made under the National Monuments Acts 1930 to 2014 (PO no. 164/1941).

Compiled by: Caimin O'Brien

Date of upload: 21 May 2018

References

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.

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.

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