Enclosure

The National Monuments Service's description

In rocky scrub woodland on the NW-facing slope of Knockadoon Peninsula on a terrace above a low rock cliff 40m SE of Lough Gur. Located looking NW towards Knockfennell. The enclosure (Site 11) is within a complex Neolithic and Bronze Age settlement that was discovered during a campaign of archaeological excavation over 18 seasons led by Professor Seán P. Ó Ríordáin at Lough Gur (Cleary 2018). Archaeological excavations were conducted by Ó Ríordáin at Circle K (LI032-022028-) 210m to SSW and at Site 12 (LI032-022007-) 280m to SW. Archaeological excavations were conducted by Cleary at a C-shaped enclosure (LI032-022008-) 150m to SW. An unexcavated enclosure (LI032-022022-) is located 20m to E.
Archaeological excavations were reputedly conducted by Ó Ríordáin at Site 11 (O’Kelly and O’Kelly 1978, 21), although this appears not to have been the case. Ó Ríordáin died prematurely and some of his excavations at Lough Gur were published posthumously (Grogan and Eogan 1987). Their analysis of the site excavation archive identified confusion within the numbering of artefacts excavated at Site 12 but numbered Site 11, additionally some of the Ó Ríordáin site excavation archives cannot be located. The site is not depicted on historic OSi maps but is visible on both OSi orthoimages taken 2005-12 and on Digital Globe orthophoto taken 2011-2013 as a C-shaped enclosure (ext. dims. c. 27m NE-SW; 25m NW-SE) that backs onto the cliff edge and is open to the NW. Dr Eoin Grogan and Professor George Eogan (1987, 462) described Site 11 (LI032-022019-) as an ‘irregular enclosure of similar construction to Site 12 (LI032-022007-) on the N side of Knockadoon. Although O’Kelly indicated that this site had been excavated no records of the excavation are known. However there appears to have been some confusion over the numbering of the finds from Site 12 as this was originally designated Site 11’. Ó Ríordáin (1953/4, 459, Plate XII) and Cleary (2003, 99) illustrated the location of Site 11. The enclosure is visible on Google Earth orthoimages taken 05/04/2006; 16/03/2006; 28/06/2018 and 20/09/2020.

See attached Google Earth orthoimages

Compiled by: Edmond O’Donovan

Date of upload: 24 November 2020

References

Ó Ríordáin, S.P. 1954 Lough Gur excavations: Neolithic and Bronze Age houses on Knockadoon. Proceedings of the Royal Irish Academy 56C, 297-460.

Grogan, E. and Eogan, G. 1987 Lough Gur excavations by Seán P. O Ríordáin; further Neolithic and Beaker habitations on Knockadoon. Proceedings of the Royal Irish Academy 87C, 299-506.

Cleary, R. 2018 The archaeology of Lough Gur. Dublin. Wordwell.

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

Cleary, R. et al. 2003 Enclosed Late Bronze Age Habitation Site and Boundary Wall at Lough Gur, Co. Limerick. Proceedings of the Royal Irish Academy, 103C, 97-189.