Crannog

The National Monuments Service's description

Situated at the N end of the small narrow lake (dims c. 400m NNW-SSE; c. 80m E-W at S to c. 150m E-W at N). This crannog is marked on a map by Francis Johnson dated 1591 as ‘the island Ever M’Cooley’s house’ at Lysonske. Exploration during 1843 uncovered two rows of piles c. 2m below the surface enclosing an area ’60 feet by 42 feet (c. 18m x c. 13m)’ as well as vast quantities of animal bones (Shirley 1845, 94; Graves 1858-8, 135; Wood-Martin 1886, 151). Some artefacts from the Shirley collection in the National Museum of Ireland came from this crannog, although nothing specific can be connected to it (Lucas 1968). The crannog is now an oval overgrown cairn (dims 42m N-S; 18m E-W; max. H 1.5m) with no evidence of artificial construction, but it is connected with the shore to the N by a modern causeway.

The following above is derived from the published 'Archaeological Inventory of County Monaghan' (Dublin: Stationery Office, 1986). In certain instances the entries have been revised and updated in the light of recent research.

Date of revision: 28 July 2017

References

Shirley, E.P. 1845 Some account of the territory or dominion of Farney, in the Province of Ulster. London. Pickering

Graves, Rev. J. 1858-9 What we learn from Wilde's catalogue of the antiquities in the museum of the Royal Irish Academy. Journal of the Royal Society of Antiquaries of Ireland 5, 110-48.

Wood-Martin, W.G. 1886 (Reprint 1983) The lake dwellings of Ireland: or ancient lacustrine habitations of Erin, commonly called crannogs. Dublin. Hodges, Figgis and Co.

Lucas, A. T. 1969 National Museum of Ireland: archaeological acquisitions in the year 1966. Journal of the Royal Society of Antiquaries of Ireland 99, 93-115.