Weir - fish

The National Monuments Service's description

Located in a fairly level landscape at the W edge of what was probably a small lake (dims c. 1.5km NW-SE; c. 0.75m NE-SW) which is described as the ‘Logh and bog of Shrereene’ on the Down Survey (1656-8) barony map and as a ‘Marl Bed’ (max. dims c. 0.5km E-W; c 0.4km N-S) on the 1836 edition of the OS 6-inch map. The original lake was probably coterminous with Commons (Skreen by.) townland. Archaeological testing (04E0418) by J. Dempsey of Testing Area 4, Contract 2, prior to the construction of the M3 motorway identified four upstanding mounds of organic material and marl. Mound A (dims 10.05m N-S; 4.8m E-W; max. H 0.58m) was 2m ENE of Mound B (dims 6.7m x 4.7m; max. H 0.12m). Mound C (dims 4.5m x 4.1m; max. H 0.2m) was 5.6m SE of A while D (dims 1.3m x 1.05m; H 0.15m) was just 2m N of A (Dempsey 2004, 12-13). The area was fully excavated (E003064) by M. Mossop (Mossop M. and Mossop E. 2009) as Clowanstown 1 (excavations.ie 2006:1533) between September and December 2006 when it proved to be a complex area with a Mesolithic post-row structure and stone platform that had four associated fish-traps, together with four Neolithic mounds and excavated features.

Four conical fish-traps were within peat layers in the central hollow and are amongst the earliest evidence of human activity. Two were close together at the bottom and two others were at higher levels c. 5m to the S. Each had a circular opening at one end and was made from one to two-year old withies that were mostly alder although some birch was present. At the closed end the withies were tied together externally, creating the conical form. The fish-traps were portable but they could also have formed part of a fixed weir. Twelve samples returned radiocarbon dates ranging between 5300-5000 cal. BC to 4990-4720 cal. BC (BETA 231947 to 231958) placing them in the later Mesolithic. Fish-trap No. 1 (L 1.15m; diam. 0.4m) is fairly typical and had a double twining at the opening. Two samples of its withies produced radiocarbon dates of 5210-4970 cal. BC (BETA 231954) and 4990-4730 cal. BC (BETA 231955). Fire-hardened stakes may have been used to hold the fish-traps in place but one was weighted with stones in the opening. (Mossop and Mossop 2009, 8-9; Delaney 2021, 46-7)

See the attached plans from Mossop and Mossop (2009 figs 9, 24)
_1 Plan of the basal hollows with fish-traps and platform;
_2 Fish-Trap 2

Compiled by: Michael Moore

Date of upload: 19 April 2022

References

Mossop, M. & Mossop, E. 2009 M3 Clonee - North of Kells, Contract 2 Dunshaughlin - Navan. Final Report on the Archaeological Excavation of Clowanstown 1, Co. Meath. Licence: E003064. Unpublished report, Archaeological Consultancy Services

Dempsey, J. 2004 M3 Clonee - North of Kells, Contract 2 Dunshaughlin - Navan. Report on the Archaeological Assessment at Testing Area 4, Clowanstown, Co. Meath. Licence: 04E0418. Unpublished report, Archaeological Consultancy Services

Delaney, S. 2021 Hunters and Gatherers. in Walsh, F. (Ed.) The Road to Kells, 43-8. Dublin, Transport Infrastructure Ireland: Heritage 12