Crannog

The National Monuments Service's description

This crannóg was listed as Kiltoom 6 and described by O'Sullivan (2004, 75-6) as following; 'Located on a level grassy foreshore that slopes gently to the W. It is 1m W to the modern lake-edge, and 5m E to former shoreline. The surrounding foreshore is level and
occasionally stony. Modern lake erosion on the SW edge of the cairn, reveals that the cairn
is sitting directly on a sandy, stony, orange-brown subsoil. The site has very good views to
NW, W and SW, with clear views to Coolure Demesne crannóg to the N. The nearest archaeological site (WM007-114----) is a small, low-cairn crannóg, 40m to the SE. It is overlooked by rising ground to the E (where there is a modern forestry). It also has good views of adjacent crannóg cairns to N and S. The site is very exposed to SW winds and waves. This is a circular, low-cairn crannog (diam. 15.5m; H 1.3m), built of pebbles, medium stones, and large boulders. The cairn slopes gradually down to the west towards the lake. It has a generally level interior, particularly across the middle to the east sector, where the pebbles and stones (L 15-30cm) are closely packed together to form a regular surface. The cairn’s edges are well-defined, particularly to the northeast, where they are steeply scarped. The edges are also defined to the south and northwest by an irregular kerb of large boulders (typically 0.7m, in length, 0.4m in width, 20cm in thickness). The kerbstones are laid closely together end to end, on a base of rounded stones, as can be clearly seen at the SW eroding edge of the cairn. These boulders were previously eroded and weathered on a lake foreshore. There is a roughly built stone causeway running out from the NE edge of the cairn. It measures 5m in length, by 60cm in width. It curves slightly to the NW at its E end. It is constructed of pairs of limestone and sandstone slabs, then goes to single slabs spaced at 50cm intervals. At the W edge of the cairn, there is a 2m gap in the kerb, which is situated at the end of a sloping ramp defined by stones placed on their edge. This defines and protects (from the NW) a path oriented NNE/SSW, that it 1.5m in width, 3m in length. This ‘path’ appears to provide access into the interior from the water’s edge. A roughly built duck-hide is located at the SW sector'. (O'Sullivan et. al. 2007, 125-6)

Compiled by: Caimin O'Brien based on details provided by Aidan O'Sullivan.

Date of upload: 6 March 2017

References

O'Sullivan, A. 2004 The social and ideological roles of crannogs in early medieval Ireland. Unpublished PhD thesis. Department of History, NUI Maynooth.

O'Sullivan, A., Sands, R. and Kelly, E.P. 2007 Coolure Demesne crannog, Lough Derravarragh, Co. Westmeath: a crannog and its landscapes. Bray. Wordwell.