Crannog

The National Monuments Service's description

Located in poorly drained marshy land, originally part of a much more extensive wetland stretching between Moyvoughley and Ballinderry Lough. No surface remains visible of crannóg excavated in 1932 (O'Neill 1936, 103-239). Crannóg described by O'Sullivan (2004, 50-1) as following; 'This is the early medieval crannóg known as Ballinderry No. 1, excavated in 1932 by the Harvard Archaeological Mission. The site was located in low-lying, marshy ground, but was probably enclosed by water towards the end of its occupation. It was a large, multi-phase crannóg (dims. 20m N-S x 33m E-W), evolving across time from a rectangular timber platform to a ‘classic’ palisaded crannóg.
In Phase 1 (late 10th century), the site had a pre-crannóg occupation phase consisting of a rectangular wooden house built on a platform ringed with piles. Artefactual finds included weaponry, tools, metalworking detritus, personal items and some distinctive Viking objects
including an iron sword, longbow and gaming board. In Phase 2 (early to mid 11th century),
the primary crannóg (diam. 15m) consisted of a circular wooden house (diam. 5m)
surrounded by walkway of a horseshoe arrangement of timber, all retained within a palisade.
Finds from its sub-structural layers included bronze pins, iron knives, stone hones, leather
shoe, wooden buckets. Finds from its occupation layers included copper alloy pins, brooch,
hones, antler, blue glass, a silver kite shaped brooch, ringed pins, bone combs, millstone, as
well as iron tools, wooden buckets and ladles. In Phase 3 (early to mid 11th century), there
was a crannóg with a large pile palisade, entrance and quay. In Phase 4 (mid to late 11th
century), the crannóg was surrounded by a plank palisade, within which there were three
possible houses represented by rectilinear mounds or hearths of ash. Finds included an iron
knife, ringed-pin, bone pins and possibly a bronze hanging lamp. By Phase 5, the site had
been abandoned, being covered by dark humus, but there may have been intermittent activity
in the late middle ages (including the deposition of tools, coins, etc). The cultural background of the site’s inhabitants remains intriguing, suggesting that these were indeed a Hiberno-Norse group, but in its latter phases it was probably a Gaelic Irish crannog, whose owners had access to objects from Hiberno-Norse Dublin, as might be expected in the midlands o f the tenth to eleventh century AD. It was probably also a high-status occupation site, given the impressive architecture o f the houses, palisades, gateways and the richness of the finds' (Johnson 1999, 23-71).

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.

Hencken, H. O'Neill 1936 Ballinderry crannóg no. 1. Proceedings of the Royal Irish Academy 43C, 103-239.

Johnson, R 1999 Ballinderry crannóg No. 1; a reinterpretation. Proceedings of the Royal Irish Academy 99C, 23-71.