Crannog

The National Monuments Service's description

On the S side of Derrymore Island, in a water-meadow below an earlier shoreline of Lough Gara. A low-cairn crannog (14.3m N-S; 15.2m E-W; H 1.3m above the meadow) of which the main surface material is loosely packed stone. There is a mid-cairn (3m N-S; 3m E-W), with distinct edges, consisting of a dense concentration of rounded to subangular sandstone stones (diam. 0.1-0.2m). The edges of the mid-cairn are distinct. It is surrounded by a sloping stone plateau (c. 8.1m N-S; 2-4m E-W). The berm consists of angular stones (diam. c. 0.2-0.3m) slightly more firmly set into the ground. The edge of the crannog is well defined, with the N portion more built up and the SW portion more spread out. Two wooden posts are evident on the E portion. Most of it is overgrown with nettles, briars and small trees and some stones are covered with black moss. This is a low-cairn crannog with some attributes of a high-cairn crannog, mainly the presence of the mid-cairn. Drumlins block the view N-S. This crannog is amongst a group of eight possible crannogs (see SL047-012002-; SL047-012003-; SL047-012004-; SL047-012005-; SL047-012006-; SL047-012007-; SL047-012008-; SL047-012009-) in the small bay between Derrymore Island and Derrybeg townland. (Fredengren 2002, KILA 023)

The above description is derived from the published 'Archaeological Inventory of County Sligo' compiled by Ursula Egan, Elizabeth Byrne, Mary Sleeman with Sheila Ronan and Connie Murphy (Dublin Stationery Office, 2005).

Date of upload: 18 January 2008