Crannog

The National Monuments Service's description

Located on the S shore of Whitewood Lough, a subcircular lake (dims c. 580m N-S; c. 500m E-W), which had a bay (max. dims c. 190m NNW-SSE; c. 120m E-W) on the S shore at the point where the River Dee left the lake. When water levels fell during 1955 a large crannog became accessible. It is described as circular (diam. c. 35m) and was constructed entirely of stone. It was surrounded by two rows of piles and some large worked timbers were found on the E side. Three dug-out canoes were recorded, and early medieval pottery sherds and fragments of a disc quern were recovered. It is now attached to the S shore of the lake. (Ó Ríordáin 1955; Eogan 1957, 53-4)

This monument is subject to a preservation order made under the National Monuments Acts 1930 to 2014 (PO no. 223/1955).

The above description is derived from the published 'Archaeological Inventory of County Meath' (Dublin: Stationery Office, 1987). In certain instances the entries have been revised and updated in the light of recent research.

Compiled by: Michael Moore

Date of revision: 5 September 2018

References

Eogan, G. 1957, Recent Crannog discoveries in Meath. Ríocht na Mídhe, vol. 1, 3, 50-4.

Ó Ríordáin, B. 1955 Varia: Crannog-type structures in Whitewood Lake, Co. Meath. County Louth Archaeological and Historical Society Journal, vol. 13, No. 3, 289.