Crannog

The National Monuments Service's description

Situated on the NW shore of White Lough, c. 500m to S of the original edge of the lake-shore. Depicted on the 1837 ed. OS 6-inch map as a long triangular-shaped island within the lough and depicted as a rounded projection of the shoreline on the revised 1913 ed. OS 25-inch map. The surface of the water is recorded as 96m/316ft OD in 1837 and had dropped to 95m/313ft) by 1913 rendering the monument landlocked from W-N-ENE. According to Adams (1960, 32) finds from this crannóg include part of a large canoe made from a single oak, a bronze pin and a crucible. Numerous other finds are said to have been deposited in the RIA museum. Monument described in 1981 as an oval-shaped mound (dims. 44m NE-SW; 36m N-S) which is raised (H 1.4m) above the height of the present lough level. Up to 70 stakes and piles are visible on the E side of the mound, which roughly form two concentric rings with a few interstadial ‘slots’. There are some radially-split and a some half-cut planks, with one having a small peg with wood-working detail preserved. There are numerous fragments of bone, but no finds of any significance. The centre is badly disturbed, and was ‘ploughed out’ to find the ‘Dane’s Treasure’ in the early [20th] century. Monument is visible today as a roughly circular-shaped earthwork on Digital Globe aerial photography.
Described by O'Sullivan (2004, 118-9) as 'Located 200m from original northwest shore of White Lough (on barony boundary), a small lake within a drained former wetland system that includes Black Lough and the raised bogs around. This crannóg was a low, oval mound (dims. 36m N-S x 44m NE-SW; H 2.4m, 1.4m from water level) of timber and earth in marshy ground at White Lough. The interior of the site was badly disturbed in the 19th century by both locals and antiquarians searching for ‘Danes treasure’. The crannóg is an oval mound. It was enclosed within two concentric rings of vertical posts, with 68 stakes and 8 split planks visible on the southeast, south and southwest sides, with a few horizontal beams lying between these vertical posts. There was also a stake palisade parallel to the mound on the south side. There were numerous fragments of animal bone, but no other finds. In the 19th century, the ashes from a possible hearth were found at the centre of the mound. A portion of a large dugout canoe together with a bronze pin and a crucible and a stone axe was also found'.

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

Revised by: Alison McQueen, Vera Rahilly and Caimin O’Brien

Date of revised upload: 05 July 2019

References

Adams, F.R.G. 1960 Killucan-some remarks on its prehistory and history. Ríocht na Mídhe 2 (2), 23-34.

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