DESCRIPTION AND GEOGRAPHICAL DISTRIBUTION OF ALL KNOWN LACUSTRINE SITES
IN IRELAND, WITH AN ACCOUNT OF THE ANTIQUITIES DISCOVERED IN OR AROUND
THEM.
PROVINCE OF ULSTER.
COUNTY ANTRIM.
_Lough Ravel_ (otherwise Derryhollagh).--This name is but a modern
corruption of the ancient form, found in the Inquisition of 1605 to be
in the district of the “Feenagh”:--“Est in eodem tuogh quidam lacus
vocatus Loughdireare in quo est insula fortificata.” The site of this
crannog, lying between Toomebridge and Randalstown, is known to the
country people as “the island” in Aghaloughan bog; it seems to have
been entirely artificial, constructed on oak piles driven into the
bed of the lough, and bound together by horizontal beams of the same
timber mortised to the piles. The interior was filled up with wood and
earth, thus forming an island of about twenty-eight yards in diameter;
and beyond this, at the distance of some six or eight yards, there
still remain several oaken piles, probably traces of an outer stockade.
On the crannog were stone hearths with marks of fire on them, and
partially within the enclosure was a very perfect single-piece canoe
of oak, twenty feet nine inches long, by four feet seven inches broad,
the sides twenty inches deep. In the island and its immediate vicinity
were querns, several wooden and copper dishes, daggers and spear-heads
of bronze, iron celts, and stones with holes perforated in them; also
some articles seemingly intended for ornamental purposes, and others
of strange shape, regarding the use of which no conjecture can be
formed. These “finds” have been sold from time to time to various
collectors. At a short distance from the island, and twelve feet below
the surface of the bog, was brought to light in the summer of 1856, a
pan-shaped circular vessel of thin hammered copper, twenty-two inches
in diameter, and eight inches in depth; it is now in the Belfast
Museum, and a label attached to it states that a few years previously
a similar one had been found nearer to the island; and in 1859 another
vessel of small size, made of hammered copper, was discovered in the
same locality. A bronze needle or bodkin, three inches long, with the
eye quite perfect; a narrow iron hatchet, eight inches in length, and
one and a-half inches wide at its cutting edge;[185] a bronze pin of
unusual form, ornamented with two human heads (_ante_, p. 109, fig.
126); two bronze fibulæ (_ante_, p. 118, figs. 147 and 148); undressed
flint flakes (_ante_, p. 58, figs. 12 and 13); the glass beads figured
(_ante_, p. 124, figs. 168 and 169); and a beautifully designed silver
brooch (_ante_, p. 121, fig. 157), were found in this crannog.[186]
_Loughmagarry._--The townland of this name is in the parish of Craigs,
barony of Toome lower; it contains within it a low-lying piece of land,
the former bed of a lake that was drained towards the close of the last
century. The present name bears no resemblance to its designation in
the Inquisition of 1605,[187] but it has been identified as the same
by Dr. Reeves; the large townland which adjoins it on the west, and of
which it appears to have been formerly a sub-denomination, is called
Feenagh. The Loughinchefeaghny of the deed of 1605 is a compound word,
signifying--according to the above authority--“the lake of the island
of Feenagh,” but perhaps may be interpreted the island of Fiodhnach,
_i. e._ the wooded place. The crannog stood close to the shore of
the lake near its western margin, where the bank rises abruptly from
the hollow; it is now a mere gravelly knoll, but the country people
recollected seeing it surrounded with an external framing of oak posts,
the interior filled in with gravel and clay. Several curiosities (now
dispersed) are said to have been found in it.[188]
_Loughtamand_, or _Loughtarmin_.--In the townland of Lisnahunshin,
parish of Craigs, barony of Toome lower, and four miles N. W. of the
village of Ahoghill, a crannog became apparent about 1849, when the
lake was drained. According to the description given by labourers
employed in the operations, a kind of framework, consisting of oaken
beams in a good state of preservation, was discovered, entirely
surrounding an island. Local tradition assigns this stronghold to the
sept of the Mac Quillans, and being situated on the boundary of the
districts of Dalaradia and Dalrieda, it afforded great security as a
place of retreat, after marauding expeditions--a recommendation that in
ancient times would render it a position of considerable importance.
Its site was identified by Dr. Reeves as the “Loughtoman” mentioned
in the Inquisition of 1605: “Est in eodem le tuogh quidam lacus sive
stagnum vocatum Loughtoman in quo est insula fortificata.” The lough is
bordered on the east and south by traces of bog, and enclosed on the
north and west by hills three in number, from two of which the country
slopes down with a regular fall to the river Bann. Between the hills
on the north and north-west there is a considerable depression, and at
this point a small stream flowed, carrying off the surface water, and
which stream, being deepened, served as a drain for the lough. Before
the withdrawal of its contents, about fifty acres were submerged, the
water varying in depth from seven to ten feet. In the year 1820 the
lough was drained by Lord O’Neil, but from after neglect the water once
more accumulated in the hollow; it was, however, again drained, and is
now under pasture. On the east side the banks of the bog which formed
the margin were from twenty to thirty feet in perpendicular height,
the outline of the basin being thus well defined; it was of irregular
oval shape, and about a mile in circumference. The island itself, of
circular form, and seventy yards in diameter, was situated almost in
the centre, though somewhat nearer to the north and east sides; it
was visible even before the drainage, and on it was a stone house.
In the draining operations the main cut was carried across the long
diameter of the lough from south-east to north-west, passing through
the middle of the island, where the workmen came upon oak piles. These
piles--from seventeen to twenty feet long, and from six to eight inches
thick--were driven into the bed of the lough, and projected five or six
feet above it; they were bound together at the top by horizontal oak
beams, into which they were mortised and secured by stout wooden pegs.
Above the top of these piles there was a depth of three or four feet
of earth, and it was only when the earth had been removed from time to
time that the wooden structure became apparent in its integrity. The
piles--twenty-six in number--were arranged in a circle of about fifteen
yards in diameter in the centre of the island, and just under where
the stone house stood. It was stated that a few feet below the present
surface of the bed of the lough a paved causeway of stone, about
five feet broad, led from its western margin across to the island,
which is now reduced to the level of the surrounding ground from the
effects of cattle tramping over it, and persons digging down in search
of treasure. The horizontal beams were removed and used for various
purposes; the drain formed a tangent to the circle of piles touching
it on the east, where some of them were dragged up on being laid bare.
A single-piece oak canoe, in tolerable preservation, was discovered
about thirty yards from the island on the north-west side, and from
time to time the following articles were found in it: metal dishes;
small axe-heads; two iron swords; a small anvil; a pair of scale; many
small hammers; “several gold pins;” an iron cauldron of low dilated
shape, and a stone yellowish-white in colour, beautifully polished,
about twelve inches long, three and a-half inches broad, and two inches
thick, accurately squared at the sides, having at each end a round hole
one and a-quarter inches deep, and a-half inch in diameter, the top
surface and one of the sides being covered with carved devices. Lord
O’Neil obtained the swords; the anvil, scales, and hammers, were sold
for trifling sums to an itinerant dealer; the iron cauldron was in use
as a potato pot, and the polished stone was given by the finder to a
friend as a “rubbing-stone” for his web.[189]
_Kilknock._--In the Ulster Inquisition sped at Antrim on the 12th
July, 1605, which still remains of record, it was found, amongst other
things, by the jury, “Et quod est infra metas et bundas ejusdem
le tuogh quoddam stagnum vocatum Loughernegilly in quo est insula
fortificata.” Although that name is now obsolete, yet Dr. Reeves,
after careful research, succeeded in identifying it with Kilknock
lough situated in the north-west corner of Drummaul, in the townlands
of Kilknock, Ballybollen, and Gillistown. In former times this lake
covered fifty acres, but it was drained about the close of the last
century: by this means the crannog was brought to light, and the
oak piles on which it was constructed were exposed to view. It is
described as of nearly circular shape, sixty feet in diameter, and on
it were the remains of a wooden hut, constructed of oak beams; these
timbers were removed, and some of them utilized as roofing material
for a neighbouring barn. A canoe was found (at the same time) in the
lough. Owing to a dispute, which afterwards arose, as to the ownership
of the drained land, the outlets of the water were allowed to close
up, and in consequence a considerable portion of the former lake had
become again submerged. The island could be reached by wading, but
was distinguishable from the rest of the marsh only by its greater
firmness. Over the tops of the oak piles--said to be about two feet in
diameter--was a considerable depth of soft boggy matter, and a paved
causeway, covered eight or nine feet deep, led down to what used to be
the edge of the water. The bog around the lake, thickly studded with
trunks of oak, varying from one to three feet in diameter, prove it to
have been at some remote period the site of an extensive wood.[190]
_Randalstown._--The large crannog in this locality appears to have
been formed with very heavy beams laid horizontally, but its condition
when discovered must render any account of the original construction
quite conjectural. The island is said to have been formerly occupied
by a sub-chief of the O’Neils; the lake in which it stood was long
since drained, and a peat-moss now occupies the place. Many articles
discovered in this crannog are now dispersed; they would seem to have
been of all ages, and to have been deposited at varying intervals of
time: a stone hatchet of rather diminutive size, but in shape neither
remarkable nor uncommon, was probably the most ancient relic, and the
most modern was a base coin of Philip and Mary. The surrounding bog has
yielded up not merely several fragments of canoes, but also some in
an entire state. One of large size, and quite perfect, was (in 1860)
exhumed from a depth of sixteen feet of peat: when first raised it
retained its original shape, but from drying and atmospheric exposure
it soon warped and became shapeless. The length of this canoe was about
twenty feet by four feet wide at the stern, and three feet at the
stem; from thence for about two-thirds of its length it was formed out
of a single log, the stern end being composed of thick short planks
well fastened with strong wooden pegs. In the bottom was a neatly made
paddle of oak, three and a-half feet long (plate XXXIII., No. 3);
beside it lay a wooden bowl that would contain about a quart; it had
been hollowed out of a single piece of wood, and its sides were thick
and rough (plate XXXIII., No. 5). Later on another canoe paddle of oak
was discovered measuring three feet in length (plate XXXIV., No. 3). A
good idea of the importance of this stronghold may be formed from the
number of tools and appliances found in it for carrying on the ordinary
business of every-day life, such as the tongs and supposed anvil of
the smith--the latter a rough lump of iron somewhat smoothed on one
side, and weighing fifty or sixty pounds--many crucibles, one unused,
but several greatly worn and burnt, the most perfect specimen being
about the size of a hen’s egg; a netting-needle of iron; a battle-axe,
such as was borne by the ancient gallowglasses; a very small sock of
a plough (plate XXXIII., Nos. 25, 6, 7, 8), and an iron lamp (plate
XXXIV., No. 2).[191]
_Ballymena._--At a distance of about four miles from this town, and
near Cloughwater, the site of a crannog was discovered in the middle
of a bog, formerly the basin of a lake, that had been filled up by
peat, which had grown to such an extent as to entirely bury the island
dwelling until laid bare by turf-cutters. Seemingly the crannog was
not of great size, neither did it contain objects of special interest
in themselves, their peculiarity being that instruments of iron and
stone were found in company, also a bronze pin and several fragments
of crucibles, together with remains of the fuel used. A pointed and
socketed iron instrument (plate XXXIV., No. 1); two small flint knives;
a stone celt; a round flat stone, two inches in diameter, having an
oblong indentation on either side; and several pieces of rude pottery,
bearing marks of fire, were amongst the articles brought to light.
_Lough Guile._--In the parish of same name, and on the site of a
crannog situated in a bog, are said to have been discovered two bronze
knives, and with them a bronze instrument, six inches long and very
sharp in the point (plate XXXIV., figs. 8 and 7); and on the same
plate, fig. 6, is a flint knife, the form rather unusual: there were
several of the articles commonly called “spindle-whorls,” some of
lozenge shape, but most of them round; one was composed of jet, having
indentations on it as for a thong or string. No description of the
special formation of this crannog is recorded.[192]
[Illustration: Plate XXXVII.
Bronze Weapons from Crannog sites on Toome Bar.]
_Toome Bar._--In 1864 Robert Day, junior, gave the following
interesting description of sites of crannogs in this neighbourhood. The
bridge which spans the river at Toome forms a connecting link between
the counties Antrim and Derry. At this place Lough Neagh presents the
appearance of a great V, having the space between the points filled
with a sand-bank, known as Toome bar, and which is almost invariably
covered with from two to three feet of water. Barton, who published a
work on Lough Neagh in 1751, states that before the autumnal season the
water discharged at Toome was so very inconsiderable as not to afford a
depth greater than that which may reach to the ankle or the knee of a
person wading, and that on one occasion a man, taking advantage of an
inblowing wind, walked over dryshod. Strewn upon the bar, and imbedded
in it, were logs and balks of timber, some bearing the marks of fire,
while others still retained their upright position. They must have
been placed there artificially, as the bar of sand extends a quarter of
a mile into the lake, outside of which there is deep water, and if it
were by the force of the water they had been thrown up, it is equally
probable they would have been swept away by the first flood. From this
it may be inferred that there was on the spot, at a very remote period,
a crannog or lacustrine settlement. The large number of flint weapons
found on the surface, or imbedded in the sandy bottom, renders it more
than probable that they had been in use by the dwellers in this island
village. Flint is not found within seven miles of Toome, so that it
must have been carried to and manufactured in the crannog. The most
conclusive proof of their having been made on the site was furnished
by the presence of the large cores of flint from which the weapons had
been struck. Two rudely-shaped, barbed spear-heads were here obtained,
and four celts of the ordinary type, made from the trap rock, two
of them polished, but the others were made with less care, the edge
alone showing signs of careful working. Antiquities of great variety
belonging to the stone and bronze periods were found at the time the
river Bann was deepened; these were deposited in the Museum, R. I. A.
All the good specimens, evidently designed for special purposes, and
to which had been given certain and definite shapes, were made out
of rocks characterised by possession of all the essential qualities
needful for such articles; whilst the rude, ill-formed implements
were composed of shale, slate, schist, grit, or any other stone which
presented itself within reach. The greater number of the flint weapons
were formed by not more, probably, than three or four skilful strokes,
thus: one would strike the fragment from the core, two more would form
the mid-rib giving it a leaf-shape, and a fourth stroke would cause
the slight depression at the base intended to secure the weapon to its
shaft or handle. These opaque flint flakes, of the largest size and
honey yellow in colour, were found six feet under the bed of the river
Bann, lying with several others and a stone celt “in one mass on the
old or former gravel-bed of the river, not far from Toome Castle, on
the county Antrim side.” At Toome were found also the bronze weapons
figured plate XXXVII., in which No. 1 represents a sword in a perfect
state, having the point worked down below the level of the blade, for
about four inches; it has a broad handle-plate, cleft for pommel, with
six rivets still in position; it is 25⅜ inches long and 1⅛ broad. No.
2 is a complete blade, but the handle-plate is defective; it is
brazed in two places, only half an inch asunder, the line of junction
being scarcely discernible; it is bevel-edged, has hilt notches, four
rivet-holes, and is 26½ inches long, by 1¼ broad. No. 3 is a plain
blade, slightly corroded, and wanting part of handle; its length is
19¼ inches, by 1¾ broad. No. 4, _ibid._, perfect, feather-edged,
slight hilt notch, four rivet-holes in handle-plate, 21 inches long,
by 1⅜ broad. No. 5 is a leaf-shaped blade, 19 inches long and 1⅞
wide at broadest part: this weapon is from the crannog of Bohermeen,
county Meath, and is here given for purpose of comparison. No. 6 is a
perfect knife-shaped dagger, grooved in casting; slight raised notch on
handle-plate, and 4¾ inches in length. No. 7 is a perfect specimen of
the long narrow spear-head; it has straight edges, loops at angle of
slender socket, broad bevelled edges, and is 16¼ inches long, by 2 in.
broad at base. No. 8 is a thick, short, cast bronze spear-handle, with
bulbous extremities, 6¾ inches long, and it “still contains a fragment
of the ancient shaft.” This relic points to a close intercourse
between the north of Ireland and Scotland, for in their wars against
the Romans, A.D. 208, the Caledonians had, amongst other weapons of
offence, a spear of peculiar construction, “having a brazen knob at the
end of the shaft, which they shook to terrify their enemies.”[193]
[Illustration: Plate XXXVIII.
CRANNOGES, LOUGH MOURNE.
Examined August 1882.
PLAN OF SMALLER SINGLE CRANNOGE.
PLAN OF FOUR LARGER CRANNOGES.
SECTION THROUGH LARGER CRANNOGES.
SECTION THROUGH SINGLE CRANNOGE.
1. LARGE STONES.
2. LAYER OF MOSS TURNED TO PEAT.
3. RADIATING TIMBERS.
4. HEATHER AND BRUSHWOOD.
5. STONES.]
_Lough Mourne._--The waters of this small lake, situated upon a
hill about 600 feet above the level of the sea, and three miles due
W. of Carrickfergus, were temporarily drained off in the summer of
1882, to enable the engineers of the water-works to carry on their
operations; and, when the level of the lake had been lowered ten
feet, a number of artificial islands were exposed to view. There was
a _group_ of crannogs consisting of four islets erected on one common
pile foundation, and at some little distance there was a _solitary_
crannog. The group was formed of some hundreds of piles, four or five
inches in diameter, with a cross timbering of branches of various
sizes upon a thick layer of heather and moss. Upon this the four
islets were built of boulder-stones to form the floors of the wooden
houses … the piles generally retained their bark, and were mostly of
pine, willow, and ash, with occasionally some of oak; they were rudely
pointed on one side only. Many of the stones bore traces of fire, and
had evidently formed part of the hearth; a piled causeway, one hundred
yards long, led part of the way to the shore; the interior was filled
with heather and moss. The single crannog lay somewhat farther from
the shore, and in deeper water than the others; greater skill, too,
appears to have been displayed in its construction. The lowest course
(see section, plate XXXVIII.) was composed of large stones, whose
exact depth could not be ascertained owing to a strong spring of water
which flowed up between them; upon this was a layer, two feet thick,
of moss, which time and pressure had converted into peat. Upon the
moss were radiating timbers, the outer ends of which rested on and
were notched or mortised into piles disposed in several rings round
the island; these piles and cross timbers were larger than in the
composite crannog, and many of them were of oak. Upon the timbers was
a layer of heather and brushwood, upon which rested the stones forming
the floor of the hut: in this case there was no causeway to the land.
The relics discovered were not numerous, but the soft, almost liquid
nature of the mud rendered a thorough search almost impossible. There
was found about five feet of the prow of a “dug out,” and, in addition
to charcoal and bones in considerable quantity, there were two small
stone crucibles, calcined flint flakes, several fossil sea urchins from
the chalk, worn smooth by having been carried about as ornaments or
charms; a small stone with a hole in it--possibly also a charm--and a
pair of “rubbing-stones.”[194] In midsummer, 1884, a very fine canoe
of oak, found entire in the bed of this lake, was presented to the
Field Club by the Water Commissioners, and has been by them lodged
in the Belfast Museum. This canoe appears to have been shaped chiefly
by the axe; it is hollowed out of a single trunk, is twelve feet eight
inches in length, and two feet six inches in width, the inside depth
being nine inches--the same breadth continues throughout--the bottom of
the canoe is perforated with six rather cleanly cut round holes, about
three quarters of an inch in diameter.
[Illustration: Fig. 198.--Dug-out Canoe found near the Crannog of Lough
Mourne.]
_Lisnacroghera_ crannog lies at a little distance from Broughshane,
in the parish of Skerry, barony of Antrim. About the year 1882,
workmen employed in cutting turf--bared by the partial drainage of the
lough--came upon oaken timbers laid in regular order; unfortunately
nearly all were removed before anyone acquainted with the peculiarities
of crannog structure had seen them, and in the autumn of 1883, most
of the timbers had disappeared, though a few of the encircling piles
remained in position. Some remarkable antiquities, discovered either
within or around it, have been rescued from oblivion and destruction.
A spear with iron head and butt, and rivets of bronze, and the iron
sword-blades enclosed in sheaths of bronze (which are now in Canon
Grainger’s museum), seem to call for prominent notice. With regard
to these the Rev. James Graves says:--“It cannot be denied that this
crannog find is one of the most important and valuable yet recorded in
Ireland, especially in its bearing on the style and the chronology of
the art of that early period when the bronze and iron eras overlapped.
The spears have bronze butts, with terminal iron heads, for such
were discovered in the crannog, whilst no spear-heads of bronze--an
imperishable metal--were found. The bronze rivets remained in the
shafts by which the iron heads had been secured. All this reminded one
of the ninth century legend of the armourers of the Tuatha dé Danann
when preparing for battle with the Fomorians at the northern Moytura.
The mode of workmanship is graphically described:--Goibniu at his
forge finishes the spear-heads in three hammer-strokes (probably they
went through three processes in their fabrication); so it was also
with the work of Luchtiné on the ashen spear-shafts, and Creidné on
the bronze rivets. When Goibniu had finished the iron lance-head, he
seized it with his pincers and sent it quivering into the door-post.
Then Luchtiné launched the finished shaft so surely aimed that it
found the socket of the lance-head, and penetrating to the bottom was
firmly fixed there: whilst Creidné instantly flung from his pincers the
finished _bronze_ rivet with so sure and true an aim that it entered
the rivet-holes to the required depth, and so the weapon was completed
(_Three Irish Glossaries_, p. 32, _Sanas Cormaic_, p. 123). Hence,
without assuming that the bronze-iron age should be thrown back to the
mythic period of the Tuatha dé Danann and the Fomorians, it is evident
that in the ninth century there was a tradition of its characteristics
and existence in Ireland, and that of so remote a date as to suit the
myth of the contest of the gods of light and life with the deities of
darkness and death. The fashion of the spears, of the swords, and of
their sheaths, prevailing at this early period, when the use of bronze
and iron overlapped, has been hitherto but sparingly revealed to us
by finds of weapons in England, Scotland, and Scandinavia. Kemble,
in his _Horæ Ferales_, engraves several examples of short swords or
daggers, the fashion of which is identical with that now for the first
time so clearly shown us by the Lisnacroghera crannog find.” Professor
Anderson, in his _Rhind Lectures_, has recorded the discovery of a
bronze spear-butt, exactly similar, in one of the _brochs_ of Scotland;
it is correlated by him with the pagan iron age; and in a recent number
of the _Proceedings_ of the Royal Society of Antiquaries of Denmark
there is engraved an iron sword-blade, with bronze haft-mountings,
nearly identical in form and fashion with those discovered at
Lisnacroghera.[195]
[Illustration: Plate XXXIX.
Haft of Iron Sword, with Bronze Mountings, from Lisnacroghera. Full
size.]
The antiquities found in this crannog consisted of a plain bronze
sheath (plate XII., fig. 1), containing an iron sword (p. 61, fig. 17):
the haft is represented full size (plate XXXIX.). One side of
ornamented sheath slightly smaller than the former (plate 12, fig. 2):
a full-sized representation is given (plate XL.).
[Illustration: Plate XL.
Upper and lower portions of side of the Bronze Sheath, from
Lisnacroghera, full size, of which a half-size representation is given,
Plate XII. fig. 2.]
[Illustration: Fig. 199.--Upper portion of Bronze Sheath. Full-size.]
[Illustration: Fig. 200.--Iron Sickle. Eleven inches from point of
blade to end of tang.]
Another ornamented bronze sheath (plate XII., fig. 3), of which the
upper portion is here given, full size. A sword of iron with bronze
fittings to the handle: this is not the sword to which the sheath
belongs. An iron sickle that had been affixed to its handle by a tang;
their usual length was twelve inches--occasionally much smaller--and
they may be divided into two classes, bronze and iron. Sickles of
iron have been found amongst Roman and Saxon remains in Britain. A
spear-head of iron (_ante_, plate X.). An iron adze (_ante_, p. 69,
fig. 31), and some miscellaneous objects of the same metal (_ante_, p.
68, figs. 28 to 30). Six butt-ends of spear-shafts formed of bronze:
five of these are represented (p. 64, figs. 19 to 23); the sixth is
here given (fig. 201). Boss-like objects (six in number) and rings of
bronze, supposed to be fragments of defensive armour (plate XV.). A
bronze rivet (_ante_, p. 119, fig. 152). Two hollow penannular rings
of bronze (_ante_, p. 119, fig. 150). An article composed of bronze,
probably an amulet (_ante_, p. 116, fig. 145). An object in bronze,
richly decorated (_ante_, p. 67, fig. 26). Three circlets of bronze
(_ante_, p. 119, figs. 153-5). A small loop of bronze (_ante_, p. 109,
fig. 135). A disc composed of thin bronze (_ante_, p. 72, fig. 34). A
small boss or stud of bronze (_ante_, p. 119, fig. 151). Portion of an
amulet of jet. Three beads of glass (_ante_, p. 124, figs. 165-7).
[Illustration: Fig. 201.--Bronze Butt of Spear-shaft. Two-thirds
natural size.]
_Craigywarren._--_Ante_, p. 110.
_Loughavarra._--_Ante_, p. 153.
_Lough Lynch._--_Ante_, p. 153.
_Lough Crannagh_ (or Lough-na-crannagh).--_Ante_, p. 28.--Amongst
the scientific grants for the year 1885, recommended by the Council,
R.I.A., appears the following;--“£20 to Mr. Alexander M’Henry for a
report on the animal and other remains found in the sand-hills of
Ballintoy and the crannog of Lough-na-crannagh.”
_Lough Ronel_ is a name set down in the MS. register of Irish crannog
objects, &c., British Museum. It is most probably an incorrect
designation for Lough Ravel.
COUNTY DOWN.
During the working of the Commission for the Arterial Drainage of
Ireland, a crannog--no name given--was discovered in this county, and
traces of another at _Ardbrin_ (_ante_, pp. 126-8).
_Ballykinler._--In 1860 this crannog was no longer traceable, but
fortunately a short description of it had been previously given.
The section made through its centre showed it to be of the usual
construction--surrounded by a circle of small piles, driven deep into
the mud, and secured by cross-beams firmly mortised together, the
space so enclosed filled with brushwood, on which was placed a layer of
gravel and earth, that process being repeated until the surface became
perfectly solid.[196]
_Lough Faughan, or Falcon_, in the barony of Lecale.--About the year
1845 a crannog was discovered in this lake. “There were large stakes
driven into the ground, completely enclosing the space within, and not
rising above the surface as a palisade, but evidently for the purpose
of keeping in the soil from encroachment of the water. The tradition
respecting it is, that there had been a castle on the shore opposite,
the chieftain of which caused this island to be made as a place of
refuge from the sudden onslaughts of the O’Neils; and to render this
retreat more secure he would never allow more than one boat or canoe
on the lake.” During drainage operations a “dug-out” of oak was found
near this crannog, from which locality were also procured two earthen
pitchers (_ante_, p. 92, fig. 66).
_Ballywoolen._--This crannog was entire when seen in 1860, in a lake
surrounded by hills, the surface of the island nearly level with the
water. At one spot there was a flagging of flat stones where the hearth
had been, and near it lay a quern.[197] The discoverer states the
site of this crannog to be in the county Down; but the only townland
in Ireland named Ballywoolen, is set down in the Ordnance Survey as
situated in the parish of Dunboe, barony of Coleraine, county Derry.
COUNTY ARMAGH.
_Camlough_ has a crannog at its north end.
_Marlacoo Lough_, near Armagh, has another.
_Lough Ross_, near Crossmaglen, also contains one, stated to have been
the place of meeting of the Irish leaders in 1641.[198]
COUNTY TYRONE.
During the working of the Commission for the Arterial Drainage of
Ireland, a crannog was discovered in this county, but its exact
locality was not defined.
_Corcreevy_ (alias _Loch-Laoghaire_), by which latter name it is
mentioned in the _Annals_ (_ante_, pp. 155-6).--The site was examined
and the following articles brought to light: a pair of bronze and
iron manacles; a double comb of bone in a perfect state, length 3
inches, and breadth 2⅜ inches, and having a brass ring attached to
one extremity--it is now in the Museum, R.I.A.; parts of a musical
instrument; an arrow-head; a spear-head; a sling, or hammer-stone.[199]
_Cranny_ townland in this county possibly derives its name from having
been the former site of a lake dwelling.
_Clogherny_, in the parish of this name, in the barony of East Omagh.
The Rev. R. V. Dixon, D.D., thus notices the discovery of a crannog
situated in a bog on the borders of the townland of Roscavey. About
eight or ten feet below the surface turf-cutters laid bare the tops
of a row of oaken planks which described a circle about seventy feet
in diameter. These planks were from eight inches to fourteen inches
in width, and from three inches to five inches in thickness, roughly
split from the log, the lower extremities pointed and driven ten or
twelve inches into the ground; their tops were all decayed; the length
of the remaining part was about four feet. Each plank was pierced by
a square hole, bearing marks of having been made by a blunt tool, and
this orifice was narrower at the centre than at the edges. The planks
forming the enclosure were placed edge to edge, and several rough logs
of alder and birch, from two inches to four inches in diameter, were
laid horizontally against the lower part of the planks on the inside
of the enclosure, which was floored with oak, and underneath was
about two feet of peat. Between the oaken floor and the outer fence
were several flag-stones, evidently the old hearths, as shown by the
quantity of charred wood that was about them. Southward two square
posts were found. This crannog lay in a depression running nearly E.
and W. between two sloping hills. “The fall of this hollow is towards
the east, where it spreads out and sinks into a large basin, or glen,
closed by rising ground of considerable height to the north and east;
by a gravel ridge, or ‘esker,’ on the south; and opening on the west
into the hollow in which the crannog stood. A considerable mountain
stream enters this basin from the east, and after flowing round a
conical gravel hill (connected with the esker) which stands in the
middle of it, escapes through a deep natural cut or gap in the esker
which, as before mentioned, closes the basin on the south. If this cut
were closed, the basin would be filled up by the stream which now flows
through it, and the level of the water would probably rise sufficiently
high to fill the hollow in which the crannog stood, and this hollow
would then form a shallow arm of the lake.”[200]
_Galbally._--_Ante_, p. 60, plate VII.
_Roughan._--_Ante_, p. 88.
COUNTY DONEGAL.
_Crannog-boy_, parish of Inishkeel, barony of Banagh.--_Ante_, p. 28.
_Mongavlin_, parish of Taughboyne, barony of Raphoe.--_Ante_, p. 151.
_Lough Veagh._--_Ante_, p. 154.
_Drumkelin_, or _Drumkeelin_, parish of Inver, barony of Banagh.--The
account of the crannog-hut here exhumed is given, _ante_, pp. 39-41.
COUNTY DERRY.
_Inishrush._--_Ante_, p. 152.
_Loughshillen._--_Ante_, pp. 148-9.
_Loughan Island._--_Ante_, pp. 153 and 155.--Six stone celts, two
bronze celts, three fibulæ, a bridle-bit, two bronze cheek-pieces
(_ante_, pp. 136-7), an iron spear-head and spike,[201] were found
here, and are now in the Museum, R.I.A.
_Fort Lough_ occupies nearly the centre of an extensive bog on the
right-hand side of one of the roads leading from St. Johnstown to Burt
on Lough Swilly. It is described as about one mile long, and a quarter
wide, but was formerly of much greater extent. There was a tradition
that formerly a castle erected in the centre of this lake had been
submerged by the neglect of a girl in not carefully _re_-covering a
fairy fountain in the vaults, and consequently the waters burst forth
in a raging torrent! After drainage operations, when the level of the
lough subsided, marks of an island became visible in the centre, and by
degrees stonework was observed rising above the surface, proving that
the subaquatic castle was not altogether mere visionary fiction. These
walls were found supporting a deposit of peat.[202]
COUNTY FERMANAGH.
[Illustration: Plate XLI.
ELEVATION, PLAN, SECTION AND DETAILS OF THE BALLYDOOLOUGH CRANNOG, Co.
FERMANAGH.
W.F. Wakeman, 1870.]
_Ballydoolough_ (_the place of the dark lake_) is five miles distant
from the town of Enniskillen; the expanse of water covers not more
than twenty-four acres, and even during times of flood never exceeds
twenty feet in depth; at the bottom could be discerned remains of a
primæval forest. In June, 1870, from the effect either of drainage
or of long-continued drought, a small island became apparent, on
which were found fragments of fictile ware, and this led to a careful
examination being made. Near the centre was an oaken beam, fifteen feet
seven inches long, having evidently formed portion of one side of the
lower framework of a dwelling. It was grooved throughout its entire
length (plate XLI., No. 7), and had two holes--measuring nine inches
by six--that were plainly intended for the reception of upright posts,
to which the sheeting or side-boards of the structure were attached.
Several oaken slabs, grooved at the sides (plate XLI., No. 9), were
discovered in close proximity buried in the sand and mud. Upon clearing
the foundation, the framework of the house was shown to be composed of
well-squared beams of oak, grooved for the reception of planks, and
mortised for the insertion of uprights, the angles dovetailed together,
and fastened with wooden pins. The beam forming the eastern foundation
of the house rested upon two blocks of dressed oak that projected from
it at a right-angle to a distance of seven feet (plate XLI., No. 2),
and this foundation may perhaps have supported a landing-stage. The
lowest timbers of house and projecting beams were secured in position
externally and internally by a row of wooden pegs, or small stakes,
which enclosed the entire foundation, and rested against it on the
exterior (on the plan these are indicated by a dotted line); the
south-western angle of the house was strengthened by a flat block (No.
6). Of the upper work of the edifice no description can be attempted,
though several dressed boards (Nos. 4, 5, 8, 9, 10, 13, on a scale of ⅛
inch to a foot), that had evidently formed part of the structure, were
found scattered about.[203] On the western side of the island, being
the one most exposed to the action of the water, the stakes were in
greatest number, placed four, and at one point even five, feet deep.
In some instances their upper extremities had been inserted in holes
cut for their reception in beams of oak laid horizontally, and although
only one such beam was found still _in situ_, yet an inhabitant of the
locality stated that within his memory many of the horizontal timbers
could be seen actually resting upon the stakes or piles, just below the
surface of the water. The kitchen-midden of the dwelling contained a
considerable quantity of bones, intermixed with numerous fragments of
pottery. A selection of the bones having been forwarded to Professor
Richard Owen for analysis, he pronounced them to be parts of _Bos
longifrons_, _Cervus elephas_, _Sus scrofa_, and _Equus asinus_. In a
more or less restored form, characteristic specimens of the pottery
are figured (_ante_, pp. 92, 95, 96, 97). There were not many articles
of bronze, but mention may be made of a plate of that metal, oblong
in form, about as thick as a sixpenny-piece, and measuring five and
a-half inches in length, by four and a-half inches in breadth; it
retained a number of rivets, and appeared like a patch off some pan or
dish. In Ireland the majority of cauldrons or dishes composed of thin
golden bronze are usually found to have been carefully mended. Of wood,
a vessel was discovered in an entire state, but from long saturation
reduced almost to a pulp (_ante_, p. 102, fig. 103); and there was a
small oaken vessel formed with staves. There were also balls of stone,
varying in size from that of an orange to a walnut; several querns, and
the inscribed stone described and figured (_ante_, p. 134).[204]
_Coolyermer_ is the name of a lake four miles from Enniskillen, in the
direction of Letterbreen; it contains an island which seemed to be
composed entirely of oaken beams; the water, however, was too high to
admit of an examination being made.
_Drumdarragh_, otherwise _Trillick_, has been recently thoroughly
examined by W. F. Wakeman, whose report, accompanied by numerous
drawings of remains discovered within the crannog, is prepared for
publication in the _Journal of the Royal Hist. and Arch. Association
of Ireland_. To the Museum of that Society the Earl of Enniskillen, in
1875, presented an oak paddle found at Drumdarragh crannog, in company
with a single-tree canoe that had been unfortunately destroyed.[205]
[Illustration: Plate XLII.
DRUMGAY CRANNOGS
W. F. Wakeman, 1870.]
_Drumgay_ (_the ridge of the geese_) lies nearly four miles to the
north of the town of Enniskillen, and separated from the northern
shore of Lough Erne by a narrow belt of land. This sheet of water
is completely land-locked; there are in it three islets, and the
south-eastern shore has a projecting point of artificial construction
that becomes an island owing to the rise of water in winter time.
Plate XLII., No. 1, conveys an excellent idea of the general aspect of
the lake, and of the position of the islands; the large wooded one,
situated near the centre, and now known as “Bone Island”--although its
older appellation appears to have been “Cherry Island”--is constructed
of beams of oak, ash, and pine, laid in rough blocks, radiating from
a centre to the edge of a circle formed of stakes set in the ground,
the diameter from north to south being one hundred and five feet, but
from east to west a few feet less (plate XLII., No. 2). When the lake
is at summer level the encircling piles are plainly visible; they had
been roughly trimmed with an instrument of metal; the longitudinal
cuts measured nearly a foot, and some of the piles were of oak (plate
XLII., No. 7); they had no slope outward, and only at a few points did
the rough wood and small branches usually interwoven with them still
remain in position. From a point near the centre of the crannog, in a
direct line to the eastern shore, a trench was dug; it commenced in
the centre, was cut outwards to the water’s edge, and thus prevented
sudden flooding; a similar trench was subsequently made on the opposite
shore. As the result of these excavations, a very distinct idea of the
internal construction of the work was obtained (plate XLII., No. 4).
The old crannog-builders appear to have selected a natural shoal in
the lough as the scene of their operations. This shoal consisted of
marl covered by a streak of whitish sand about four inches in depth;
over the sand, to a height of six or eight inches, was a stratum of
yellowish clay, which supported unhewn logs of oak and birch, together
with an immense quantity of small branches, twigs, brambles, and small
pebbles, all compressed into a peat-like mass about two feet thick;
this was covered by two feet of earth, containing here and there layers
of burnt clay and bones; the clay was mixed throughout with bones of
animals greatly broken, articles of early manufacture, slag or dross
iron, charcoal, and rough stones. The surface of the island was in many
parts covered with flat stones of considerable size, and stakes larger
than those which formed the outer circle, yet of the same character,
were found here and there, even in the highest and most central
parts; they were designed to stay and prop the work, for their points
were deeply imbedded in the marl which formed the bottom of the lough.
It was impossible to procure any perfect specimen of these supports,
as the wood, softened by saturation, broke off on application of the
slightest pressure. Scattered amongst the bones that lay upon the shore
of the island, were several fragments of earthen vessels; the one
represented (_ante_, p. 93) was found here. Although search was made,
yet comparatively few antiques were brought to light.[206]
In plate XLII. a large island is represented to the extreme left; this
is what may be termed a composite crannog. The body of the island,
formed entirely of stones, was formerly surrounded by rows of oaken
stakes; none, however, are now to be seen; they served as fuel to a
man who lived on the shores of the lake. The greatest height of this
island above summer level of the water was about five feet, the form an
irregular oval, two hundred and seventy feet in length, by one hundred
and thirty-eight feet in breadth, and a trench cut through to a depth
of five feet reached what seemed to have been the ancient bottom of the
lake. The great peculiarity of this structure is that the collection of
small flat sandstones of which it was composed had been placed on edge
(plate XLII., No. 5). By the country people it is appropriately styled
“the quarry.” Close to the north-western extremity of the lake may be
seen a small crannog--about thirty feet in diameter--that is all but
submerged even in the dryest season; the few oaken timbers that remain
seem to radiate from a common centre, and are intermixed with stones,
as shown in plate XLII., No. 3. Evidently this islet had originally
been strongly staked. The fourth and last crannog is represented
at the extreme right of the general view of the lake; but here the
crannog wrecker had been at work, and the stakes that formerly entirely
surrounded it were pulled up and used as fuel. A curiously sculptured
stone (_ante_, p. 90) was discovered here. The last two crannogs lay at
a very low level, owing perhaps to the fact of an unusual quantity of
boughs and compressible matter having been used in their construction.
Portion of a single-tree canoe of oak was found in the lake, as also
two very neatly formed paddles of oak, measuring about two and a-half
feet in length.[207]
_Gortalough (the field of the lake)_ is situated near Drumgay, and
within three miles of Enniskillen. Here a log-house, or crannog-hut
was discovered buried under many feet of peat, but no trace of it now
remains.[208]
_Drumskimly_, near Derrygonnelly.--In this lake, now almost drained,
there were formerly two crannogs that are in the present day dry and
under cultivation; but there remained a little island surrounded by
water and well palisaded in the usual manner; it was circular in form,
and about thirty-five feet in diameter; its surface has been converted
into a garden. From time to time were here disinterred a spear-head and
arrow-head, both of iron; a pair of quern-stones, and many fragments of
pottery; one of the latter is figured (_ante_, p. 100).[209]
_Drumsloe._--See _ante_, pp. 87-88.
_Ballaghmore_ is the name now applied to a lake (about a mile and
a-half from Enniskillen) in which was a crannog seemingly composed
entirely of earth and stones, in a soft depth of mud, surrounded with a
mass of aqueous vegetation. No piles were visible.
_Moinenoe (the bog of the yew)_ is a locality about a mile from
Enniskillen, and sometimes called Chanter Hill. It was the former site
of a lake which now in summer becomes a soft and treacherous swamp, and
such traces of the crannog as yet remain would be difficult to explore.
A single-tree canoe was found in the bed of the ancient lough.
_Breagho (wolf-field)._--Near a place of this name labourers when
cutting turf came upon a stockaded enclosure buried some twelve
or fourteen feet below the then surface of the bog; the crannog
was circular, and about thirty-five feet in diameter. A pair of
quern-stones, a large oaken, bowl-shaped vessel, split in several
places, and the sawn and perforated bones of a _Megaceros hibernicus_,
were the only “finds” recorded.
_Aughlish._--In a lake so called, about five miles from Enniskillen, in
the direction of Boho, there is a crannog, but the height of the water
precluded an examination. The tops of numerous piles are frequently
visible in summer-time.
_Killynure (the wood of the yews)_ is a small lakelet, distant a mile
from Enniskillen, on the Tempo road. It contains a crannog which is
usually flooded.
_Lough Acrussel_ is situated near Enniskillen. The crannog was found
standing in deep water; but after a continuance of dry weather the
piling all around could be distinctly seen, and the posts were, as a
rule, connected by horizontal beams. Near the centre of the island
there was a large flag-stone that had evidently been used as a hearth.
Upon sinking shallow trenches through portions of the work, bones
and teeth of animals of the usual character were discovered, as also
iron slag, wood charcoal in small quantities, and some thin pieces of
bronze, seemingly parts of a cauldron or dish. The plan of the crannog
was nearly a perfect circle, and its diameter sixty feet.[210]
_Lough Yoan._--In the summer of 1883, the crannog in this lake was
visited by W. F. Wakeman, who reported that its surface seemed covered
with bones of various animals, the larger of them having been broken
apparently for extraction of the marrow. There were several whetstones
and fragments of querns; but no traces of woodwork remained visible,
though possibly by digging through the sand and stones, of which the
shoal is chiefly composed, some discoveries might be made.
_Lankhill._--In this lake, situated near Enniskillen, a crannog
was discovered by W. F. Wakeman, by whom it will be described in a
forthcoming number of the _Journal Royal Hist. and Arch. Association
of Ireland_.
_Lough Macnean_ contains four islets, the one lying close to the
western shore being appropriately designated “Crannog Island.” Its
diameter is about sixty-four feet, and the work, which consists of a
cairn of stones--rising to a height of eight or ten feet above the
winter level of the water--had been formerly enclosed by a double row
of piles composed of oak, yew, and pine. The usual amount of bones,
a couple of fragments of pottery, and a large quantity of iron slag
and charcoal, alone were discovered, although the shore was carefully
searched. The island situated near Belcoo was of the same dimensions
and formation; nothing but bones, slag, and charcoal, were found in it.
In the crannog at the southern extremity of the lake, digging had to be
discontinued in consequence of the percolation of the water. Much of
the piling was still visible, although everywhere reduced to a state of
pulp. The fourth islet, named _Inishee_ (i. e. _fairy island_), yielded
nothing; it was of natural formation.[211]
_Lenaghan._--Here, about three miles from Enniskillen, is a small lake
containing a crannog. On it were found immense numbers of animal bones,
as also some few antiquities; one of them, a dagger of bone, measured
fourteen inches in length.
[Illustration: Plate XLIII.
LOUGH EYES CRANNOGS.
Plate 1. W. F. Wakeman 1870.]
_Lough Eyes_ is situated two miles north-east of the village of
Lisbellaw; it is about two-thirds of a mile long, by less than a
quarter of a mile across at its greatest breadth. This lough was not
known to possess any manner of interest, scenic or otherwise, except
indeed for the disciples of Isaak Walton, who found it well stocked
with scaly prey. The Irish name of the lake appears to have been lost,
possibly corrupted, or perhaps translated, for near the southern shore
a spring called _Tobernasoul_--“_the well of the eyes_”--still gives
forth water forming a small rivulet that connects the well with the
lake, so that in all probability this furnishes a clue to the modern
name of the sheet of water. Lough Eyes, like the crannog retreats of
Ballydoolough and Drumgay--distant respectively about three miles--was
anciently embosomed in a dense primæval forest. The roots and portions
of the stems of oak, pine, and alder, of immense size, remained _in
situ_, and were in such close proximity that their foliage must have
commingled and formed a canopy impervious to storm. The forest,
however, has been “pared to the stump,” as may be seen from the
sketch of the locality--taken from the south-east--which conveys a
fair idea of the _tout ensemble_ of the scene. In consequence of the
exceptional dryness of the summer of 1870, the level of the water was
greatly diminished, and the islands (six in number) became exposed to
view (plate XLIII., No. 1). Although the elevation of the remains above
the surface of the water was unequal, still the rows of piling by which
the lake dwellings had been protected and enclosed were on about the
same plane. The crannog that was situated in the deepest part of the
lake would appear to have sunk, but its subsidence may be attributed to
the perishable nature of its component parts--logs and branches. The
other habitations were constructed upon shoals--in one instance upon
a natural turf-bank artificially strengthened, and then raised to the
required height with layers of sticks, brambles, earth, and stones.
Plate XLIII., Nos. 2, 3, 4, give the ground-plan, section, and general
aspect of the most important crannog of the group; its greatest height
above summer level is ten feet, but it is never entirely submerged;
it measures two hundred and eight feet in circumference. A trench cut
across the island (plate XLIII., No. 3) demonstrated its artificial
strata to be as follows:--The surface consisted of a layer--averaging
a foot in depth--of stones deposited without any appearance of
regularity; these stones rested upon a layer of earth (A) of similar
thickness, from which broken bones and small particles of charcoal
were disinterred. Underneath was a stratum (B) that had been formed of
branches of oak, alder, pine, hazel, &c., roughly thrown together, and
with traces of the bark still distinctly discernible, intermixed also
with remains of brambles, decayed foliage, small stones or gravel, a
little earth and bog mould. Next followed about six feet of a seemingly
undisturbed stratum of peat (C), lying upon a deposit of sand and marl
(D and E), which probably at some very remote period had formed the
original lake bottom. The stockading that originally surrounded the
islet still existed. To the west and north the stakes were four deep,
driven in close together, and forming an almost solid whole; they
were nearly all of oak, roughly hewn, and sharply pointed by a metal
instrument (plate XLIII., No. 5). Half buried in the soil were several
pieces of oak--one a barrel-shaped block (plate XLIII., No. 8), one
foot four inches in length, by one foot ten inches in circumference;
the groove cut in one of its sides is two inches deep, by one and
a-half inches broad. The other block (plate XLIII., No. 6) measures one
foot seven inches, by six inches; another is slightly smaller; and a
fourth (No. 9) has all the appearance of having formed portion of the
bottom of a wooden vessel; it measures twelve inches across.
[Illustration: Plate XLIV.
LOUGH EYES.
Plate 2. W. F. Wakeman 1870.]
Subsequently, at a season when the water was exceptionally low, the
locality was again examined, and a shoal or ridge, evidently the
remains of a piled causeway by which the islands in Lough Eyes had
been connected together, was then discovered. In the neighbourhood a
tradition existed that in ancient times “a road passed through Lough
Eyes.” This lingering belief would be fully explained by the existence
of a _kesh_ or causeway--and upon this, as well as upon the main
crannog, was found a quantity of bones of the _Bos longifrons_, red
deer, ass, sheep, goat, and pig. Mixed with the animal remains was an
extraordinary collection of broken earthen vessels like those in the
Drumgay and Ballydoolough sites. The fragments were nearly all more or
less ornamented with indented patterns, sometimes arranged simply in
lines, in other cases presenting chevron designs. The illustrations
(_ante_, pp. 93, 94) represent two of these vessels restored. Fig. 71
is a flat disc, seemingly a cover or lid. Figs. 72, 73, 98, 99, and
100, were also found in this locality. Second in position from the
left side of the general view of Lough Eyes (plate XLIII.), a very
small island (No. 2 crannog) may be discerned in the distance: this is
a sunken crannog; its appearance is shown in the lowest sketch (plate
XLIV.). To the right, in the general view (plate XLIII.), is the most
northern crannog (No. 3) of the group; its general plan and details
form the three upper sketches of plate XLIV. The shape was circular,
the diameter about fifty feet, the piles stood almost as originally
driven, but the horizontal timbers of the interior had disappeared.
A cruciform section demonstrated that the island consisted of a low
mound formed of sand, earth, and stones, which had settled down into
their then position. A whetstone, and portion of a highly decorated
quern (_ante_, p. 88), rewarded the search. Bones lay scattered along
the beach, as well as over the surface of the islet, and pottery was
found in abundance (see _ante_, plate XVIII.). The fourth island (No.
4) from the left of the view is represented in the sketch second from
the bottom (plate XLIV.). It was similar to the last described: a
cruciform section of considerable depth threw little light on
the internal construction; there were only layers of earth, sand, and
sticks. The result of a search and digging along the shore brought
to light a portion of the upper stone of a quern, fractured bones,
and small fragments of pottery. The fifth crannog was of the sunken
class, although some of the stakes were still _in situ_. It was low and
narrow, seldom above water, therefore its exploration was practically
impossible. Some bones and fragments of pottery (_ante_, plate XIX.),
a whetstone, and pieces of a jet bracelet, were the sole mementoes
discovered. The sixth, and last crannog is to the extreme right of the
general view (plate XLIII.). In summer-time, during low water, it was
a peninsula. Many of the stakes retained their position, but a section
made into it presented nothing of importance. From about the group of
crannogs, fragmentary specimens of what had probably been bracelets
of jet were discovered, and the axe-head of deer’s horn figured and
described (_ante_, p. 59) was dug up in this locality. The bones,
pottery, and other debris, seemed to be distributed pretty equally all
around. Copper vessels had been found in connexion with these lake
dwellings, but attracted no attention as they were supposed to be part
of the “plant” of poteen distillers.[212] In the neighbourhood small
mounds--consisting chiefly of heaps of burnt sandstone--were very
common; these stones were easily pulverised.
[Illustration: Plate XLV.
General View of the half-drained Lake of Loughavilly.]
_Pad_, or _Boat Lough_, close to Lough Eyes, is a very small lake, in
which is the site of a crannog, not yet explored on account of the
depth of the water.
_Monea._--See _ante_, pp. 69-70.
_Wolf Loch._--There is said to have been formerly a crannog in this
lake.
_Loughavilly (the lake of the old tree)_, now nearly drained, is
represented (plate XLV.) as seen from the south, with Topped Mountain
in the background. The piled mound visible in the middle distance, to
the right, is the remains of a crannog that appeared to belong to an
age when stone implements were in use, judging from the character of
the few antiquities found within it. In the summer of 1871 there was
still observable a small portion of the original lake dwelling. “This
consisted of a roughly squared block of oak, measuring four feet
three inches in length, by one foot in breadth. It was nine inches in
thickness, and exhibited upon what appeared to have been its upper
surface two quadrangular mortise-holes, one of which was a square, six
inches by six inches, and four inches in depth; the other, an oblong,
six inches by five inches, and somewhat shallower than the former.
They were placed at a distance of one foot three inches apart, and
presented all the appearance of having been fashioned by a rude stone
instrument.” The mortise-holes were not deeply sunk in the two logs
remaining on this crannog; they are represented (plate XLVI., figs. 14
and 15). Fig. 16, a rudely-shaped stone axe-head or chisel, four and
a-half inches in length by two and a-half inches in extreme breadth,
was also discovered here.
_Kilnamaddo._--For description of this crannog, see _ante_, pp.
37-39. Amongst the “finds” were an ordinary whetstone, a couple of
hammer-stones, some flint-flakes, a large tray-like vessel composed
of oak, some fragments of rude pottery, and a pair of rubbing-stones.
Plate XLVI., figs. 5 and 9, are angle-posts of the second hut, they
measure respectively three feet eleven inches, and four feet nine
inches. Figs. 6, 7, and 8 (about one foot four inches in length), are
pegs used probably to secure the lower logs in position; these pegs
varied in size, and bore the marks of being cleanly cut by a sharp
metallic instrument.
[Illustration: Plate XLVI.
Remains, &c., found at Loughavilly, Kilnamaddo, and the Miracles.]
_The Miracles._--At a place bearing this singular name, and situated
near the village of Monea, turf-cutters in the year 1875 came upon
the remains of a hut occupying the centre of an artificial island
which stood in the middle of what had formerly been a small lake.
Unfortunately the timbers and beams with which it was constructed were
carried off before anyone skilled in archæological matters had seen
them _in situ_; but the posts represented (plate XLVI., figs. 11, 12,
and 13) were evidently angle-posts, resembling those in Kilnamaddo,
and, like them, not exhibiting the bruised appearance produced by
stone hatchets. There were pieces of iron slag, quantities of burnt
wood, a well-formed crucible, sharpening and grinding stones, a stone
or pounding instrument (_ante_, p. 74), and a beautifully-formed,
highly-polished, axe-head, and a chisel of stone. Amongst the “finds”
were numerous articles of bronze, which are now dispersed, and cannot
be traced; but from the description given of them by the workmen
they were probably fibulæ. There were also several oaken paddles,
of which one is now in the Museum, R. I. A.; the dimensions of
another were seven and a-quarter inches in length, the breadth of the
blade being three inches; the handle terminated in an oval expansion
measuring two and a-half inches across. Single-piece canoes have, from
time to time, been discovered in the neighbourhood.[213]
_Rossole Lake._--In the neighbourhood of this sheet of water (_ante_,
p. 49) there lingers a tradition of a “buried city” lying in its
depths; therefore, in the event of drainage, it is more than probable a
crannog site might be disclosed to view.
COUNTY MONAGHAN.
During the working of the Commission for the Arterial Drainage of
Ireland, six crannogs were disclosed in this county; four of these
sites have not been identified.
_Lough Fea._--A stockaded island in this lake (discovered in 1843) is
described in Shirley’s _Dominion of Farney_.
_Aghnamullen._--_Ante_, p. 135.
_Lough Ooney._--_Ante_, p. 156.
_Ballyhoe_ Lake, distant about five miles from Carrickmacross, was
described by G. Morant as situated on the southern verge of the
county Monaghan, the greater part of it being in Meath. The lake, of
horse-shoe form, is of tolerable extent; the river Glyde, or Lagan,
runs through it, and by this stream it is connected with several
lakelets lying more northward in the county Monaghan; at the toe of
the horse-shoe, owing to the large deposit of mud brought down by the
river, the water is very shallow. In this lake were two artificial
islands, one of great extent, the other much smaller. In the larger
island, to which a causeway led from the mainland, were numerous
mounds which had been partially excavated, and here were found two
fine specimens of bronze pins, other articles of lesser interest in
lead and iron; also a flint spear-head. The shores of the lake were
for the most part boggy and full of large timber, stumps and stems
appearing in great quantities, both above and below the level of the
water, which was reduced several feet by the drainage of the river. The
centre of the horse-shoe was occupied by a peninsula of bog-land with
a coating of grass: this tract also abounded with timber, the stumps
in many places projecting above the soil. In August, 1864, on the east
shore of this peninsula, were observed two chert spear-heads lying just
beneath the water at its lowest summer level, and a few yards further
along the beach was a rude stone hatchet, about six inches long and two
inches deep in its broadest part. The following spring, when the winter
floods had subsided, measures were taken to search very carefully,
and the result was the collection of a great many flint implements
of various types, the greater number of which were lying only a few
inches below the surface of the soil, and generally ashes were found
with them. In one place a dark-coloured glass bead of barrel-shape was
with the flint-flakes, and close to the stump of a large tree was a
very fine polished stone hatchet with squared sides, the edge sharp
and quite uninjured. In one of the holes made in the bog by the feet
of cattle lay a beautiful little arrow-head of dark flint, triangular
in shape, chipped to an exquisite sharpness, and curved inwards at
the base to form the barbs. With the flakes, knives, scrapers, arrow
and spear-heads of flint, were also many specimens in chert or Lydian
stone. Near the exit of the river from the lake two different types of
light-coloured flint arrow-heads were discovered, the one barbed, and
about one and three-quarter inches, the other two inches in length, and
of peculiar form; the latter lay where a deep cutting had been made
during the drainage works, and near this spot was anciently a ford, the
scene of several encounters between the Danes and Irish, and where in
later times the forces of Elizabeth, and the Irish under Tyrone, met in
battle array. In a field on the Meath side of the river, stood a castle
of which no vestige now remains above the ground: the foundation may,
however, still be traced, and many articles have, from time to time,
been ploughed and dug up about the site of this old fortalice of the
Pale. A fine silver coin of Mary, and a good specimen of a pin-brooch
in bronze, with red enamel setting, were found there.
The larger crannog, separated from the mainland by a shallow
channel, was in summer accessible by a narrow causeway. In one of
its mounds--principally composed of ashes--were leaden bullets,
sharpening-stones, and implements of iron; on its shores a flint
spear-head and bronze pins; on the edges of the lake close by, flint
arrow-heads, hatchets, &c., all of which, found at about the same
level, were certainly submerged until the drainage works permanently
reduced the height of the lake by several feet. Bullets discovered in
these crannogs prove that they were occupied up to a comparatively late
date.[214]
_Cargaghoge._--_Ante_, p. 42.
_Glaslough_, or _Erny Lough_.--_Ante_, p. 151.
_Lisanisk._--_Ante_, p. 151.
_Lough-na-glack._--_Ante_, p. 81. Two bronze instruments, supposed to
have been used for piscatory purposes, were found in connexion with
this crannog, also several beads of amber and blue glass; a comb and
three pins made of bone; an iron dagger fifteen inches in length;
several primitive iron plough-coulters; fragments of iron instruments
(use unknown); a long gun-barrel, or caliver; part of the lock of a
pistol, and many bullets of lead.[215]
_Lough Mucknoe._--_Ante_, p. 151.
_Lough Monnachin._--_Ante_, p. 151.
_Lough Rouskey._--_Ante_, p. 151.
_Monalty_ (near Lisanisk).--The first mention of the discovery of
various ancient relics in a small artificial island in this lake was
made by Mr. Shirley. There was a canoe (hollowed out of a single
piece of oak), measuring twenty-four feet in length, also stone and
bronze celts, spear-heads, needles, pins, &c., from all which it would
seem that here had been one of the strongholds of the chiefs of the
district. This crannog--afterwards explored by G. Morant--is situated
close to the shore, and during the low state of the water in the year
1863, it became accessible by wading over a few yards of mud. When
searching on the exposed side of the island a jewelled ornament was
perceived, slightly projecting above the gravel, stones, and mud of
which the beach was composed. This proved to be a rock crystal, oval
in shape, and set transparently; the crystal, with its silver setting,
measured two and a-half inches in length, by one and three-quarter
inches across, and was much corroded on the front; the little points
were surrounded with a cable-twist, as was also the setting. It was
pronounced by a competent authority to be a work of the fourteenth or
fifteenth century. Lying on the surface of the boggy soil was another
antique, considered to be a harp-pin; it was of highly-finished work
in bronze, the barrel having within it indications of rust.[216] The
crannog had been searched long previously by a man who made a trade
of selling antiquities, so that the good fortune of discovering these
curiosities must be attributed to the fact of the water-level having
been so exceptionally low in the year 1863.
_Rahan’s Lake_ is situated near Carrickmacross, and here in 1863 the
hearth of a crannog was uncovered; on it were found a quantity of
ashes, together with five Queen Mary shillings, fused into a mass,
probably by the conflagration which had consumed the dwelling. A bronze
pin, a flat spear-head, and stone celt, were also brought to light.[217]
_Leesborough Lake._--An iron skean, seventeen inches long including the
tang, the blade thirteen inches, one and a-quarter inches wide at the
handle, and one-quarter inch thick, tapering to the point, was found
here.
_Kilmore Lake._--Two crannogs are known to have existed in this sheet
of water.[218]
[Illustration: Plate XLVII.
Fig. 202.--General Plan of the Bed of the Drained Lake of Cloneygonnel,
_alias_ Tonymore.
Fig. 203.--General View of the exposed Lake Bed.
Fig. 204.--Section of Large Crannog.]
COUNTY CAVAN.
_Cloneygonnell_ (otherwise Tonymore)--a townland in the parish of
Kilmore, barony of Lower Loughtee--contained three crannogs that became
exposed when the waters of Tonymore Lough had been run off by arterial
drainage. Although the tops of the outer row of piles could be seen
projecting above the surface, yet the real nature of the largest of
these islands--a green oblong mound--was not suspected until after the
railway had passed through a portion of it. The land was described as
rising, in a succession of low hills, from what had been the ancient
margin of the lake; on the north and south sides were the raths of
Shancloon and Cloneygonnell, as shown (plate XLVII., fig. 202), and
there were several raths of minor importance. In 1862, Dr. Malcomson
of Cavan, carefully examined the locality, and made a sketch of the
general appearance of the ancient lake bed and neighbourhood (fig.
203), as well as a representation of the section of the larger crannog
where cut by the railway (fig. 204). The piles or stakes were arranged
in two circles, one within the other, the diameter of the greater one
being one hundred and twenty feet, and that of the other ninety feet.
The piles in the outer circle were very numerous, and in some instances
driven in close proximity to each other; a few appeared about three
feet above the surface, and upon being withdrawn and examined were
found to have been carefully pointed. The stakes in the inner row were
not so numerous; some of them were of oak, others being of sallow or
other soft wood. Within the stockade were observed two small mounds,
one at the north, the other at the south. Corresponding with the
depression between these, and three feet under the soil, was discovered
during the excavation a flat stone four feet square and three inches
thick, resting on a number of upright blocks of oak; this, no doubt,
was a hearthstone. The most elevated point of the mound, towards
the south of the island, had a crater-like appearance. Besides the
wooden stakes which entered into the formation of the circles, others
appear to have been laid horizontally, their beam-like ends showing at
that part of the enclosure which was disturbed by the passage of the
railway. On exploring the crannog, and when the excavations had been
carried to the centre, the cut surface presented from above, downwards--
1st. _Clay._
2nd. _Black and grey ashes, with small stones and sand._
3rd. _Bones and ashes, with lumps of blue and yellow clay._
4th. _A quantity of grey ashes_, and
5th. _The horizontal sleepers, or stretchers, and hazel branches
resting on the peat bottom._ (Plate XLVII., fig. 204.)
[Illustration: Fig. 205.--Plan of Crannog, showing the radial
arrangement of the timbers.]
The superficial soil was gradually removed in order to expose the
original flooring and examine its peculiar arrangement. During the
removal of this stratum the workmen turned up a few antique specimens,
amongst them portion of a glazed crucible, and a large mass of
brownish metallic dross, quite convex on one surface. The principal
stretchers--about forty in number--which composed the flooring were of
black oak, in a tolerable state of preservation; each plank was from
six to twelve feet in length, and from six to twelve inches square.
They were laid down so as to extend lengthways from the circumference
towards the centre, forming a number of radiæ somewhat like the spokes
of a wheel; their outer ends were kept in position by slender crooked
trunks of oak-trees forming a kind of circle, these again being fixed
into their places by the outer row of stockades. The planks were not
in close apposition, and the spaces so left were filled with thick
branches of sallow, deal, and hazel, with the bark on; many of the
branches extended underneath the sleepers, thus separating them from
the peat bottom. The branches were for the most part rotten, and
easily broken down. Hazel nuts were found here hard and brown, as if
but just fallen from the tree. When the peat was removed to a depth
of two feet near the outer part of the enclosure, the space so left
was immediately filled up with bog water. A similar examination made
near the centre exposed a hard foundation of blue clay. The timbers
composing the crannog appeared to have been roughly hewn, and were not
joined together by nails or mortises; two of the stretchers, however,
had mortises. This site was most thoroughly examined. In the same
marsh, but nearer to the ruin of Tonymore Castle, there were traces of
two other stockaded dwellings (plate XLVII., fig. 202), an elevated
causeway leading from them to what had been formerly the mainland.[219]
_Cornagall._--_Ante_, p. 67.
[Illustration: Plate XLVIII.
Fig. 206.--General Plan of Drumkeery Lake. A--Island with Crannog.
Scale 6 inches to one mile.
Fig. 207.--Plan of Promontory with Crannog. Scale, 1 inch to 60 feet.]
_Drumkeery Lough_ is situated two and a-half miles north of
Bailieborough. In 1863 the level of this lake having been lowered,
the fact became apparent that it had been, in olden times, the abode
of a lacustrine population. Plate XLVIII., fig. 206, shows the former
extent and shape of the lake. Near its southern margin there was
an oval-shaped island, converted into a peninsula by the change in
the water-level. The aspect of the locality is described, and also
represented in an outline sketch, by Professor Harkness, the original
island being shown (plate XLVIII., fig. 207) by the portion marked
A, including the area B, while the present peninsula is indicated
by the letters CCC. The crannog was situated on the peninsula, and
the approach to it had been from the south, as indicated by remains
of a stockade of birch piles, DD, extending from both sides of the
entrance, whilst at the eastern corner of the latter was a large
oak pile with a four-sided hole cut through it. Large vertical oak
slabs, with interspaces of three feet between each pile, formed the
sides of the entrance EE, the interspaces filled in with smaller
slabs of oak inclined outwards; the strong vertical piles had been
well secured; on examination it was found that about nine feet of
their length lay below the then surface. The floor of the entrance F
was formed of large flat stones, and underlying this rude pavement
were pieces of cleft oak. The area occupied by the crannog was an
Irish acre--the longer axis being nearly north and south--and it was
enclosed by piling composed principally of birch, retaining the bark.
These birch poles, on the end inserted into the ground, had usually
a wedge-shaped outline; some of the smaller trees seem to have been
cut down by a single blow, and driven into the ground without further
sharpening. Piles of oak which also occurred in the crannog were much
better pointed, tapering regularly in some cases from their extremity
for four feet upwards. Round oak piles were found in several parts of
the stockade; whilst cleft oak was observed only at the entrance
in one or two parts of the stockade, and in single piles here and
there in the crannog. It has been computed that the number of piles
used in forming and strengthening the construction must have exceeded
30,000. The stockade was composed of piles placed in close contiguity,
without interspaces; and in the interior, near the piling, there was
a layer of gravelly clay and large stones, varying from two inches to
two feet in thickness, its object being to give a uniform level; and
this comparatively narrow space was the only artificially elevated
portion of surface in the crannog, which differed from most others
previously met with in Ireland, in apparently not having required to
be raised above the water; but there is evidence of the level having
risen five and a-half feet since the period of its occupation. At the
northern extremity of what had been the crannog was a space about a
rood and a-half in size, B, occupied by fragments of burnt bones and
charcoal--the kitchen midden of the place. This deposit, nine inches
in thickness, rested upon the natural surface of the island, of which
the entire area AB was flat, and before the lake was lowered stood
two and a-half feet above the ordinary level. On the north side the
supports for a landing-stage, H, were composed of two rows of piles
that ran obliquely _outwards_ from the girdle of piling G; and on the
east side was another series of double piling, I, the piles about three
and a-half feet apart, and they differed from the formation on the N.W.
in extending _inwards_ from the main stockade. Opposite to this, and
firmly embedded in the oozy bottom of the lake, was seen a single-piece
canoe, J, formed out of an oak trunk; the double row of piling
extending inwards doubtless enclosed a “dock” destined to receive and
secure the canoe when not in use.[220]
On the north side of the lough, nearly opposite this crannog, there
were traces of another of smaller size. Birch and round piles of oak
were distinctly recognizable; these occurred also at various intervals
along the margin of the water, indicating the former existence of
several lake dwellings. Along the shore have been discovered traces of
many ancient fireplaces[221] more than six inches above the present
surface of the lake, but five and a-half feet below its level previous
to drainage; the largest of these consisted of a heap, thirteen feet
in diameter, of small flattish, angular-shaped stones resting on peat;
the small stones had a reddish colour, and consisted of fragments of
greywacke shale. Immediately contiguous to this heap of small stones
was another, about four feet in diameter, made up of large stones, some
a foot and a-half in breadth. These larger blocks exhibited no trace of
the action of fire which had given to the smaller fragments their red
colour.[222]
_Lough Ramor._--There are numerous islands on this lake, which is five
miles in length, and from a mile to a mile and a-half in breadth. In
the _Irish Annals_ this sheet of water is said to have burst forth A.M.
2859, and in A.D. 845, King Malachy is reputed to have here attacked
and destroyed an island on which rebels had fortified themselves after
joining with the Danes, and from whence they continued to commit
depredations on the neighbouring districts. On its shores was found
the curious stone mould figured _ante_, p. 73; a bronze vessel like
a modern pot, eleven and a-half inches high, and the same wide, with
small handles attached below the rim, and one foot wanting; another
bronze vessel in a perfect state, with three transverse raised lines
on sides, trident-shaped ornaments spring from the base of each leg,
angular handles attached between junction of rim and conical pot,
fifteen and three-quarter inches high, twelve across mouth. These
latter articles were both found in Lough Ramor, and in Museum, R. I. A.
they appear as Nos. 40 and 43.
_Lough Crannog._--Judging from the name, there was formerly an
artificial island in this lake.
_Lough Aconnick_ and _Derreskit Lough_.[223]
At a meeting of the Royal Historical and Archæological Association of
Ireland, held at Portrush, July, 1885, a paper on the crannogs of the
county Cavan was read by Mr. Seaton Milligan of Belfast, who stated
that he had at various times visited several of those structures, which
he considered to be more numerous in Cavan than in any other county in
Ireland, owing perhaps to the great number of lakes scattered over its
surface. He described some eleven sites that lay within a radius of
seven or eight miles from the town of Cavan; and was of opinion that
their outer row of piling was generally formed of oak, and the inner
circles of smaller stakes of hazel and sallow. A looped spear-head of
bronze was shown by him, and he minutely described two canoes dug out
of a bog on the shores of a lake containing a crannog, and situated
near Heath Lodge. A bronze rapier found near a crannog in Lough Oughter
was also exhibited by him, and a description given of the castle of the
same name, where Bishop Bedell was protected by the Irish during the
troublous times of 1641. This castle stands on an island surrounded
by piling, and bearing the impress of having been an ancient crannog
whereon the more modern structure was erected (_ante_, p. 155).
The exact locality of two sites in the province of Ulster still remains
undefined, i.e. _Loch-da-damh_ (_ante_, p. 158), and the crannog
attacked by Sir Henry Sidney in 1566 (_ante_, pp. 146-8).
PROVINCE OF LEINSTER.
COUNTY MEATH.
[Illustration: Fig. 208.--Fusus antiquus.]
_Lagore_, otherwise _Dunshaughlin_. (See _ante_, pp. 23-5, 157, for the
discovery and historical account of this celebrated crannog.)--In the
kitchen midden were bones of the _Bos longifrons_, _Bos frontosus_,
four-horned goat, wolf, dog, bear,[224] red deer, wild boar, sheep,
fox, horse, &c.; also a sea-shell (_Fusus antiquus_), here figured
one-third its real size. This relic is preserved in the Petrie
Collection, R. I. A. It is curious to find a shell of any marine
species within the bounds of a crannog situated many miles inland;
and with it were shells of limpets and baccinums, together with
numerous portions of fictile ware.[225] Around the crannog were several
single-tree canoes, and near the centre there were two human skeletons
lying at full length; the country people would not allow them to be
removed; one specimen was, however, secured, and deposited in the
Museum, R. I. A.[226]
_Bohermeen._--_Ante_, pp. 82 and 171.
COUNTY WESTMEATH.
During the working of the Commission for the Arterial Drainage of
Ireland a crannog was discovered in this county, but its site is
unidentified.
_Joristown._--In this townland, parish of Killucan, there would seem
to have been formerly a crannog in the river Deel, for when deepening
the bed of the stream a bronze spear-head was found five feet below the
surface, and in the immediate neighbourhood of an artificial island,
which is described upon the label attached to this weapon in the R. I.
A. as “a little mound, formerly an island, which contained a quantity
of bones and some iron spears.”[227]
_Ballinderry_, in the parish of Kilcumreragh, barony of Clonlonan, is
situated not far from Moate. When, as the result of drainage, the water
of this lake fell, it was discovered that it had formerly contained
a large crannog surrounded by a stockade of oak piles, around and on
which was an immense quantity of the antlers of red deer, and fractured
bones of deer, oxen, sheep, and other mammalia, all afterwards sold
as manure. Many objects of archæological interest found here were
obtained by various collectors--some are in the Museum, R. I. A.,
and others have been figured in the _Journal of the Royal Historical
and Archæological Association of Ireland_. The first notice of the
crannog occurred in 1844, when Mr. Hayes forwarded to Sir W. Wilde a
description of it, together with a plan and map of the locality. Two
single-piece canoes were disinterred from this site, and portion of an
ancient harp of wood. The pendent amulet of stone, figured p. 115, was
found here.[228]
_Ballinacarriga._--_Ante_, p. 136.
_Lough Owel._--A canoe was here found, and a crannog is said to exist
beneath the waters of this lake, opposite Portlenon. It is situated on
a shallow, still called by the fishermen “the Old Crannog.”
COUNTY LONGFORD.
_Castle Forbes._--_Ante_, p. 33.
_Aughamore_, near Granard.--At this place was said to have been
discovered a curious wooden hut, constructed of black bog-oak, which
lay under water in an exhausted bog at considerable depth beneath the
surface. It measured twenty-three feet by ten, and had eight very
strong beams supported by cross-beams firmly jointed; the side-beams
mortised, as if intended for uprights. It was taken asunder in the
process of raising, and as far as can be ascertained it has never been
viewed by any person competent to form an opinion on the matter, so
that no conjecture can be hazarded regarding the age or purpose of this
so-called hut.
COUNTY LOUTH.
_Iniskeen._--_Ante_, p. 158.
_Ballyhoe Lake._--A stone pestle, an amulet made of black stone, and
a flat circular stone, were here found,[229] and from the bed of the
river _Glyde_ were obtained a portion of a double comb and two beads of
bone, the one seven-eighths of an inch in diameter, the other one-half
inch wide.
KING’S COUNTY.
During the working of the Commission for the Arterial Drainage of
Ireland, a crannog was discovered in this county, locality not
mentioned.[230] “Just above the Pass Bridge, at the east end of
Droughtville demesne, is a marsh, called the ‘Muddy Lake’ on the
Ordnance Map, but by the people, the ‘Island Lough.’ On the north
side of this marsh there is a small island, on which are the remains
of _Kiltubrid Castle_. Between the castle and mainland, on the north
side, there is an ancient causeway about one hundred yards in length.”
A new channel made by the Drainage Commissioners in 1852, crossed
this causeway within thirty yards of the castle. In the excavation
several large pieces of oak were found, having evidently formed portion
of a framework, as the mortises were tolerably perfect. Here also
were discovered an article formed of wood, a pan of white bronze or
_findruin_, three coins of the reign of Charles I., two of Elizabeth,
and numerous others worn and defaced.[231]
QUEEN’S COUNTY.
_Grantstown._--About the year 1860, the permanent water-level of
this lake being lowered six feet, disclosed an artificial island;
the stakes forming the enclosure were very sharply pointed; those
laid horizontally in the centre were grooved and nailed together.
R. Langrishe--who had visited Grantstown, and was often on the
lake--states that the country people spoke of these remains as “the
castle”: they said “it had sunk.” No canoe was found, the water in
the immediate vicinity of the crannog being upwards of eighty feet in
depth. The only relics discovered were an iron hasp, two nails with
large heads, an arrow or spear of charred wood, a polished piece of
bone resembling a pin for the hair, having grooved circles all round it
at top, an enormous quantity of animal bones and charred timber, a lump
of gypsum, also a rude box, about four and a-half feet in length, which
contained two small bones.[232]
_Lough Annagh_, situated in the barony of Tinnehinch, separates the
King’s from the Queen’s County; it is three miles in circumference,
and the waters abound with pike, roach, and perch. In the middle of
this lake, where most shallow, oak framing was visible, and a tradition
existed that “in the war of 1641 a party of insurgents had a wooden
house erected on this platform, whence they went out at night in a boat
and plundered the surrounding country.” The site was suitable for such
a retreat, the lake having formerly been embowered in forest. Queen
Elizabeth thanked one of her commanders for conducting a detachment
of horse in safety through the surrounding woods of the district. T.
Stanley, who visited the place in 1868, observed an island-like patch
rising a little above the water-level; of piles then visible he counted
upwards of one hundred and twenty, arranged in lines, with spaces of
two feet between the alignments, the average diameter being about
five inches. The island sloped down gradually in every direction, and
the piles--apparent only on one side--accommodated themselves to the
slope, and were in general only a few inches above the surface of the
water. Four piles had been uprooted, and thus showed that originally
they were pointed with a sharp instrument, possibly with small iron
hatchets similar to those found on the spot a few days previous to
T. Stanley’s visit. Between the island and the shore there was a
half-submerged space, about thirty feet in diameter, strewn with stones
and broken querns; a few piles appeared among this debris. There was
a lesser tract closely adjoining, where well-burnt brick, both whole
and broken, were mingled with the stones. On the mainland, near the
crannog were traces of a curious bog-pass, made like an American
corduroy road, and there can be little doubt of this being “the tougher
of Malahone,” mentioned by Major Edward Wood in his despatch, giving
an account of an action fought by him on the 4th May, 1691,[233] when
he defeated a portion of the Irish army on a hill above the lough. It
is more than probable that the crannogs in question had either been
the head-quarters of the Irish force, or that after their defeat the
fugitives took refuge on the islands, for in the year 1868, the Rev. J.
Graves saw at Tullamore articles purchased from the men who had picked
them up near the crannog. The items first named seem to tell their own
story.[234]
[Illustration: Fig. 209.--Part of Lough Annagh, enlarged from the
Ordnance Survey six-inch Map, showing Sites of Crannogs.]
During the progress of drainage operations, five canoes became
exposed to view; they lay at the bottom in the same part of the lake,
with their bow in a north-westerly direction, all having the same
inclination or dip in the sandy or muddy deposit. A drawing was made,
with measured plans and sections of the most perfect of the “dug-outs”;
it was, however, split or fissured from starboard right through to the
stern; it measured twenty-two feet seven inches over all, its greatest
beam being thirty-one inches. It was formed out of one large trunk
of oak, and appeared to have been hollowed by means of fire; close
inspection showed that edged tools had been used in finishing it. The
bottom (two inches thick) was perfectly flat, and without keel, and its
perfectly smooth sides inclined outwards from the bottom. Two stout
ridges of solid timber, one near either end of the “dug-out,” served
to prevent the sides from collapsing, and between them and the bow and
stern cavities had been hollowed out of the solid trunk, seemingly
for the purpose of rendering the craft more buoyant. The port side
was several inches lower than the starboard--manifestly the effect of
accident. There were no traces of thwarts or benches; the sides had
neither row-locks nor thole-pins; the canoe must therefore have been
intended for propulsion by paddles. A horizontal hole, about one and
a-half inch in diameter, had been bored in the most forward and highest
part of the stern.
This entire fleet of ancient boats, together with several querns and
bones found in the locality, were, in 1868, at Brittas, the residence
of the Right Hon. General Dunn.[235]
_Cullina._--Mr. Louis Orr states that in 1872 he saw exposed by
turf-cutters in the bog of Cullina, about three miles from Maryborough,
the remains of a primitive wooden dwelling. “The building lay from
ten to twelve feet beneath the original surface of the bog, and
consisted chiefly of four upright posts, which formed the angles of a
square of six or seven feet across. These posts were about six feet
in height. A quantity of timber, consisting of planks and trunks of
trees, principally oak, lay scattered around, and some of the woodwork
appeared to have been charred by fire. Within what had been the area
of the hut was a trough made of oak, measuring three feet in length by
two in breadth.” A piece of thin metal (whether bronze or iron is not
stated), very much corroded, was also discovered. It was supposed to
have been a sword.
PROVINCE OF MUNSTER.
COUNTY TIPPERARY.
_Annagh_, in the parish of Kilbarron.--There is here (as stated by the
Rev. James Graves) a piled crannog, situated at the extremity of a
shallow spit--submerged except when the river Shannon is very low--and
at the outlet of a great circular spring or small lake, six or seven
hundred yards in diameter, which runs into Lough Derg. This site has
not yet been examined, but a map of the locality is here given.
[Illustration: Fig. 210.--General Plan of the neighbourhood of
the Crannog of Annagh. A. Piled Crannog. B. Shallow Spit, usually
submerged. C. Spring, or Lough. D. Outlet into Lough Derg.]
_Monaincha_ (the island of the bog) is--as stated by W. F. Wakeman--an
artificial construction, on which had been subsequently erected a
church in the Hiberno-Romanesque style. It is to the present day
surrounded by bog.
_Lough Nahinch_ (the lake of the island).--In the year 1810 the
waters of this lake, situated near Roscrea (at the junction of King’s
County and Tipperary), having been lowered four feet by drainage, a
considerable portion of the land it once covered (fig. 211, _b b b
b b_) was laid bare, and the site of a crannog became apparent. The
lake is now much reduced in dimensions, but the surrounding ground
being low, its expanse in winter (_a a_) is greater than in summer.
Mr. Trench of Cangort Park--although at the time of its discovery
unaware of the real nature of the construction--gave the following
graphic description of it:--“The bottom (of the lake) consists of blue
shelly marl, which seems to extend to a great depth, and when dry it
is exceedingly light. In the highest part of this reclaimed land,
which is about the middle of the old lake, there is seen a circular
part resembling in shape the top of an immense tub, about sixty feet
in diameter. The large planks which form the staves are from one to
ten feet (?) broad, and six inches thick, quite straight as far as it
has yet been possible to trace them downwards; none of them have been
raised without cutting them.” There was no appearance of either axe or
saw having been used in their formation.[236]
[Illustration: Fig. 211.--Map showing former and present summer and
winter level of Lough Nahinch.]
Since the change in the water level, the original aspect of the crannog
has been completely transformed, its circular shape changed, many of
the piles removed, and where the water was deep a quay was built for
the convenience of landing turf from the southern shore. On the east
there was a track into the mainland (_c_), and at its junction with the
quay at the S.E. of the island, was one of the old oak sheeting piles.
On the north, oak piles were noted forming part of a circle, and from
them, running S. and S.E., there were two rows of round perpendicular
ash piles (two feet five inches in diameter), that may have formed part
of walls, or partitions dividing the space inside the circle of sheet
piles into rooms or dwellings. On the N.W. of the island, about three
yards from the present shore, were also some of the circle of sheet
piles, and between them and the land ran E. and W. beams four feet
apart, and four feet lower than the surface of the island: above these
were irregularly-laid logs of oak, mingled with large stones. On the
S.W. there was a set of oak sheet piles bounding the end of the quay.
Only the general section of the island could be made on account of the
inrush of water into the excavation.
GENERAL SECTION.
ft. in.
6. Bog, (about) 0 6
5. Bog, ashes, bones, and nuts, 1 6
4. Stones and large oak sticks irregularly laid, 0 6
3. Peat, bones, and ashes, in which were oak beams
lying in different directions, 1 6
2. Oak beams, about four feet apart, and laid nearly
E. and W., 0 6
1. Peat, wood chips, and bones, (over) 1 0
------
5 6
The artificial work, measured from the present surface, was more than
five feet six inches in thickness. On the beams (_layer 2 in section_)
there seemed to have been a basket flooring, but of this there could
not be certainty, owing to the depth of water in the excavation. In
connexion with them were observed _wicker-walls_ made of hazel rods,
and where these crossed the oak beams there were round holes through
the latter for the stakes to pass through. In the vicinity of these
beams a small rude stone implement of Silurian grit was found, but so
rotten that it broke when handled. The beams in _layer_ 3 were charred
on the under surface, as if they had formed the rafters of an edifice
destroyed by fire. Near the north of the island, immediately over
these charred beams, there was a plank pointing N.W. and S.E.; it was
ten feet long, twenty inches wide, and two inches thick; at about
one foot nine inches from its N.W. end there were two holes through
it, running N. and S. in a line with the north and south piles seen
on the N. shore, and on each side of the plank there were upright
stakes ranging in the same direction. The conclusion may be drawn
that the island was occupied at two distinct periods--the first being
when the E. and W. beams formed the floor of the habitations which
seemed to have been destroyed by fire: afterwards the oak sticks and
stones--irregularly laid--were placed as a floor for new dwellings, and
between the periods it must be supposed that the water of the lake had
risen considerably.[237]
COUNTY WATERFORD.
[Illustration: Fig. 212.--Plan of Submarine Crannog at Ardmore.
One-half the scale of fig. 213.]
_Ardmore Bay._--Here, in the year 1879, a submarine crannog was
discovered on the shore under high water-mark, where a small stream
runs into the sea between Ardmore chapel and the old coastguard
houses; this little stream described a semicircle around the crannog
at low water, but at high water all was submerged; a bank of shingle
had covered it in whole or in part, but the rapid denudation going
on from the action of the sea had removed the shingle and is wearing
down the bed of turf, so that it is quite possible no remains of the
crannog may be left. Its greatest diameter was from ninety-two to one
hundred feet: the turf was over nine feet deep where the piles were
driven in; these were of oak, rudely pointed and forming a double
enceinte--irregularly oval in shape--of which the inner row of piles
generally sloped slightly inwards, and those of the outer row--closer
together and more numerous than the inner--sloped outwards. In many
cases they stood above the turf, and were for the most part large--as
thick as a man’s thigh. Several smaller piles were in the S.E. quarter
of the crannog, probably the remains of wattled partitions. To the N.E.
the sea denudation had been very great, and there, at the surface, were
found many roots of bog-timber, similar to those which near the centre
of the crannog lay more than two feet below the level of the solid peat.
SECTION INSIDE EAST MARGIN OF CRANNOG.
ft. in.
8. Peat, } 1 0
7. Thin stratum of bluish clay with worn pebbles, }
6. Peat, } 1 0
5. Thin stratum of bluish clay and an angular }
piece of limestone, }
4. Thin stratum of charcoal, }
3. Peat, 2 0
2. Clayey peat, 3 0
1. Very clayey peat full of small oak roots, 0 6
------
7 6
[Illustration: Fig. 213.--Section of Submarine Crannog at Ardmore.[238]]
In the peat Nos. 1, 2, and 3, roots and twigs of oak occurred, and in
the peat Nos. 6 and 8 were many twigs and boughs of oak, also stouter
pieces of sallow. The cross-section taken along the line AB shows the
present surface of the ground, with the oak piles, hazel stakes,
planks, beams, &c., found in the excavation, also the high water-mark
of average spring tides, and the depth of the peat--where proved. Any
implements, or other relics that may have remained in this site, must
have been long since washed away. A few antiquities are said to have
been discovered in the Ardmore peat, but not within the bounds of the
crannog, so that some charcoal found in one spot, two feet below the
surface, and the “kitchen midden”--which at the close of 1880 became
exposed by the action of the sea--form the only traces remaining of
man’s former presence in this abode.[239]
On Arranmore island, in the Bay of Galway, the Rev. W. Kilbride
discovered habitations and artificial structures extending from above
high water-mark to under the low water-level of spring tides: from
this it may be inferred that man existed in Ireland before the last
subsidence of the land. The _Irish Annals_ contain much that was
formerly looked upon as fabulous relations of inbreaks of the ocean,
but which may be reasonably held to be the reflex of traditionary tales
having some foundation in fact. Geologists assert that at one time
Great Britain and Ireland were connected with the Continent by a great
level plain, over which roamed the _Megaceros_, so that even within the
period of the existence of this animal, whose contemporaneity with man
may be considered beyond dispute, both seas and continents have changed.
There are proofs of elevation and subsidence in the Bay of Baiæ, where
the Temple of Jupiter Serapis “affords in itself alone unequivocal
evidence that the relative level of land and sea have changed twice at
Puzzuoli since the beginning of the Christian era; and each movement,
both of elevation and subsidence, has exceeded twenty feet.”[240] It is
difficult to decide whether the crannog at Ardmore had, like the Temple
of Jupiter, subsided with the land, and had again been elevated: the
denudation of the crannog may point to the possibility of the latter
hypothesis.
COUNTY LIMERICK.
A crannog was discovered in this county during the working of the
Arterial Drainage Commissioners. Site unidentified.
_Coolcranoge_.--_Ante_, p. 28.
_Knockanny_.--_Ante_, p. 156.
[Illustration: Fig. 214.--Spear-head of Bronze from Lough Gur. One-half
real size.
Fig. 215. Ferrule, showing Gold Ornamentation. Full size.]
_Lough Gur._--_Ante_, pp. 6, 25-6, 83, 150, 156, &c. There was found
here a remarkably fine bronze spear-head, now in the collection of
General A. Pitt Rivers, F. R. S. The lower part of its socket was
ornamented with gold (see figs. 214 and 215). Homer more than once
mentions the gold ring, or ferrule, around the spear-head of Hector.
The two following relics--also from Lough Gur--may be seen in the
British Museum:--(1) A moiety of a stone mould for casting spear-heads
and other pointed objects of various sizes: “it is a four-sided prism,
six and a-half inches long, and two and a half inches broad at one end
of each face, and one and three-quarter inches at the other. A second
similar prism would, it has been observed, give four perfect moulds for
casting spear-heads slightly varying in form, but in each case provided
with side-loops. These loops are, as usual, semicircular in form on the
mould, and were no doubt destined to be flattened in the usual manner
by a subsequent process of hammering. There is one special feature in
this mould, viz., that at the base of the blade there is a transverse
notch in the stone, evidently destined to receive a small pin which
would serve to keep the core for the socket in its proper position.
There is a similar transverse notch in one of the smaller moulds for
the pointed objects”[241] (fig. 216). (2) An iron sword, which is
ornamented on the blade thus, [Illustration]. The cross-like form
does not necessarily denote that the weapon belongs to the Christian
era, for an almost similar symbol [Illustration] appears in an ancient
Mexican MS. now in the Belfast Museum.[242]
[Illustration: Fig. 216.--Stone Mould for casting weapons, from Lough
Gur.]
COUNTY CLARE.
_Effernan._--In the year 1873, a gentleman desirous to provide his
residence with an ample supply of water, decided on bringing it down
from this lake, situated at a distance of about two miles, and at a
level of three hundred feet above his house. Before a syphon could
be placed in working order, it was necessary to reduce the height of
the water much below its ordinary summer level, which was effected
by clearing and deepening the outlet. When making the cutting
the labourers, at about six feet below the surface, came upon a
densely-intertwined layer of roots of a pine forest; the trees had
evidently attained maturity in the position in which they were found,
and they extended also under the water. The forest must have been very
ancient, as no lake could have been formed there at the time of its
existence. The roots were in the exact position in which the trees
grew, and these, with the direction to which their stumps pointed,
seemed to indicate that, while the present prevailing wind is the
S.W., it must then have been the N.W. Hills and valleys guide the
aerial currents, and some convulsion of the earth’s crust may have
altered these, and formed the present lake. When, by drainage, the
water had been reduced nine feet, there was laid bare a low neck of
land stretching into the lake, its outer end being highest. Along this
neck of land ran, in irregular order, a row of posts, from four to
six inches in diameter, and which, in general, only just topped the
ground. At the extremity of the promontory was an unmistakable crannog,
circular in form, and with wooden piles surrounding the exterior; the
floor was of stone; and one large flag--seemingly the fireplace--took
up the greater part of the interior space. Unfortunately, no one
specially interested about lake dwellings was at the time aware of this
discovery, and the syphon being completed, crannog and causeway became
once more submerged.[243]
PROVINCE OF CONNAUGHT.
COUNTY GALWAY.
[Illustration: Fig. 217.--Plan of Ballinlough.]
_Ballinlough_ is situated in the barony of Leitrim, and parish
of Ballinakill; in it were four islands, bearing no distinctive
appellation; but G. H. Kinahan, who made the explorations, named them,
respectively--_North Island_ (1), (fig. 217), _West Island_ (2),
_Middle Island_ (3), _East Island_ (4). In the general view of the lake
(fig. 218), _North Island_ (1) is in the far distance; near the mouth
of the rivulet is _West Island_ (2); to its right lies _Middle Island_
(3); whilst a glimpse of a portion only of _East Island_ (4) is to be
seen. The horns and skulls of numerous red deer have been discovered at
various times in the lake-bed; also the head and horns of a _Megaceros
hibernicus_. _North Island_ (1) is nearly one hundred yards from the
shore, to which, during the dry season, it was connected by a reedy
bank, and, when visited, was a foot above the surface of the water;
the excavation was stopped on finding the stratum undisturbed, and no
traces around of ancient dwellings, either of stone, or of piling.
_West Island_ (2), twenty-six yards from the shore, was connected
with it during the dry season; its form was a rude oval, the diameter
thirty-three and fifteen yards, respectively, and there were flat
stones round the outside. An excavation in the centre showed:--
ft. in.
Bog and clay, with a few bones, 2 0
Wood ashes, full of charred bones, over 1 6
------
3 6
[Illustration: Fig. 218.--General View of Ballinlough.]
_Middle Island_ (3) lies nearly eighty-four yards from _West Island_
(2); it was almost circular, its diameter being thirty-two yards;
and outside, for a width of nearly twelve feet, it was lined with
regularly-placed flat stones. When the water was low, piles could be
distinctly observed around it; but the porous nature of the materials,
joined to the height of the water at the time, precluded a systematic
examination. A small excavation near the western extremity gave the
following section:--
ft. in.
6. Peat and clay, about 0 9
5. Peat and stones, with a few bones, 0 9
4. Wood ashes and peat, quantities of unbroken cherry
stones, broken hazel nuts, broken animal bones
and teeth, also a ball of red colouring matter, 2 6
3. Basket flooring, one and a-half inch thick, 0 1½
2. Oak beams, 0 6
1. Peat, over 0 6
------
5 1½
The oak beams were sawn, not split; they seemed to run nearly N. and
S.; through them, at distances of nine inches, were pairs of dowels,
and at intervals of nine inches were ash poles, two and a-half inches
thick, through which the dowels passed and secured the flooring beams.
The wicker-work flooring was formed of hazel rods; and the crannog
would appear to have been divided into huts, or apartments, as portion
of a row of ash piles was observable. Below the beams there was a
stratum of peat; but in consequence of the rapid influx of water, the
working had to be abandoned at this point. No relics were discovered,
owing probably to the narrow area of the excavation. _East Island_ (4)
was of irregular pear-shape, sixty-seven yards by fifty; it lay three
hundred feet from the southern shore, and seemed to be partly natural,
partly artificial. An excavation in the centre gave four feet of peat,
and under it was shell marl, whilst for a radius of about twelve feet
around the island there were layers of regularly-placed stones, small
and flat; also at the S.E. shore there were two beams, seven inches
wide; the height of the water, however, precluded further examination.
The lake occupied a hollow among low hills, the only outlet being at
the village of Ballinlough, where there is an artificial cut through
a bank of coarse boulder clay. If this cut were filled up, the water
would rise at least four feet higher than at present; and it would
seem to have been at that level not long since, for all round the
beach, to over that height, there is a deposit of shell marl and
peat. In the bank of drift on the west of the village is the trace
of an ancient ravine, _artificially filled up_ with stuff taken from
an oblong excavation (marked _a_ on fig. 217). To account for this
artificial filling, it may be suggested that the inhabitants of the
crannogs were flooded out by an enemy, who stopped the egress of the
lake, thus raising the water until the islands were swamped; after
this they remained submerged until the opening of the present cut. In
later years they had been occasionally occupied for purposes of illicit
distillation.[244]
_Lough Naneevin_ is situated in the townland of Gortacarnam, barony
of Moycullen. In the summer of 1865, G. H. Kinahan observed, in this
lake, a crannog which is described as oval in form, about one hundred
and fifty feet in length, seventy-five feet wide, and on the south a
narrow causeway, then partly submerged, had joined it to the mainland.
The island bore traces of having (since last inhabited) been covered
with water _at least_ two feet higher, for shell marl was deposited on
the portion below that level. On the south shore of the crannog there
was a row of round oak piles, four inches in diameter, and on the S.W.
shore were two rows of similar piles, five feet apart; alongside them
were oak beams, and there was a double row of piles, seemingly part of
a wall, bearing north and south. No piles were observable on the east
of the crannog, but there was an irregularly-laid flooring of beams of
ash, oak, and sallow; from these latter, it was supposed, had sprouted
the sallow trees, which at that time formed a fringe round the island.
The piles had been pointed with a sharp-cutting instrument; therefore
metal had been in use either when the crannog was constructed, or
repaired.
Six small excavations made near the centre of the island, where the
surface of the crannog was three feet above the water-level, disclosed
the following section:--
ft. in.
Bog, with a few bones, sticks, and stones, 3 6
A bed of regularly laid fern-stalks and leaves (_Pteris }
aquilina_, or brake fern), on a flooring of }
wicker-work, made of hazel rods, about an inch in }
diameter; over the ferns were a few bones and a }
quantity of nutshells, } 0 6
Bog-stuff, mixed with branches, and containing a few }
stones and logs of timber, (over) } 5 0
About a foot below the water-level were traces of what G. H. Kinahan
considered to be a basket-flooring; and a large flag-stone, used as a
hearth, was found resting on an accumulation of wood-ashes, three feet
in depth. Some distance to the west was a long rude bench (or perhaps
the foundation of a wall) formed of stones. The height of the water
prevented excavations outside the crannog, therefore few bones were met
with, but a little east of the fireplace was the probable site of the
kitchen midden.[245]
_Loughrea_ is situated in the barony of same name. In the locality
there lingered a tradition that a city lay buried under this lake, and
indeed on a clear calm day--where the waters are shallow--there may be
observed various heaps of stones, placed with a degree of regularity
that renders it probable they may be remains of ancient lake dwellings.
Upon examination it was ascertained that four of the islands in the
lough were undoubted crannogs, and it was quite possible that another
(known as Blake Island) might prove to be also of artificial formation.
[Illustration: Fig. 219.--Plan and Section of Reed Island. Scale, 20
feet to 1 inch.]
_Reed Island_, situated at the N.W. corner of the lake, about fifty
yards from the shore, lies too low to be observable in any picture.
Excavations showed (section, fig. 219)--(6) marl; (5) peat; (4) large
stones; (3) a layer of birch trunks and branches; (2 and 1) two layers
of squared oak beams, laid at right angles to each other. The island
was surrounded with a circle of piles (fig. 219)--two feet apart--that
were seemingly strengthened against wave action by a layer of flat
stones, deposited with great regularity; three sets of piles crossed
the crannog, which rose about six inches above the ordinary level of
the lake, and the lowest beams (1 in section) were four feet two inches
beneath the then water surface. The island originally consisted of a
wooden platform, enclosed by “a circular wall, the framework of which
was the piles, the interstices being filled with sods. As the lake
rose, it was found necessary to raise the floor, first by a mass of
birch timbers and branches, and afterwards by a layer of stones.”[246]
[Illustration: Plate XLIX.
Fig. 220.--View of Loughrea, showing Shore and Ash Island.
Fig. 221.--Plan of Shore Island. Scale, 80 feet to 1 inch.
Fig. 222.--Section of Shore Island.
Fig. 223.--Section of Shore Island.]
_Shore Island_, situated immediately below Lord Dunlo’s house, and
a quarter of a mile from Reed Island, appears to have been formerly
connected with the mainland by a causeway formed of marl and peat; but
in comparatively recent times the waters of the lake have worn a gap
through it, about fifteen yards in breadth. (Plate XLIX., figs. 220
to 223.) The S.S.E. and E. shores were found to be a mass of stone,
between and outside two semicircles of oak piles, whilst the W. and
N. were banked up with shell marl. Twenty yards south of the island,
three circles of piles, three feet apart, could on a calm day be seen
below the water. Thirty-five feet from the E. shore part of a circle
of piles was visible under the water, being perhaps portion of the
circle found in the most northern excavation made. From the east shore
a double row of piles extended from the circle, and on the north of
these were horizontal beams in parallel line. A little N.W. of the
double row, in an old working, there was part of a circle of piles, and
in another a row of piles running nearly E. and W. Some of the upright
piles formerly bore marks showing that horizontal beams had been
mortised on them. This settlement was thoroughly explored, and in it
basket-flooring and partitions were noticed (_ante_, p. 32). In 1848,
among the numerous bones raised from this site were perfect crania of
oxen, sheep, goats, deer, pigs, and what seemed to be those of large
dogs, or wolves, together with the head of a _Megaceros hibernicus_,
measuring over thirteen feet from tip to tip of the antlers.[247]
[Illustration: Fig. 224.--Plan of Ash Island. Scale 20 feet to 1 inch.]
_Ash Island_ (figs. 220 and 224) is sixty yards from the shore at
the south-west corner of the lake. When examined, the surface above
water measured twenty yards in diameter, and it was covered with flat
stones, which continued for a short distance under the water. Towards
the S. W. a spur, covered with small shingle, extended outwards about
three yards, and to the N. and S. W. were similar spurs stretching
to a distance of four yards from the water edge. On the N. E. there
were visible, below the water, a number of parallel logs of round
ash, six inches in diameter, and two feet apart; also one or two logs
on the east side. A few piles of oak were discovered; there were no
indications, however, that the island had at any time been surrounded
by a regular piling, but there was found a wicker, or dividing wall,
the stakes composed of round fir, two inches in diameter, and one foot
apart. The finds consisted merely of fractured bones, wood ashes,
hazel-nuts, two hones, and a round sea-stone.
[Illustration: Fig. 225.--View of Loughrea, Island M’Coo in the
distance.]
_Island M’Coo_ is one hundred and eighty yards from the nearest
shore. It seemed to be surrounded by a circle of piles thirty-five
feet in diameter, and in a season of low water _gun-barrels_ and
_bronze spear-heads_ were said to have been brought up in the prongs
of eel-spears. The incongruity of the juxta-position of gun-barrels
and bronze spear-heads can easily be explained. In the year 1798 all
the guns seized throughout the surrounding country were brought into
the town of Loughrea, and the magistrate in charge, having orders to
destroy them, caused them to be carried out and sunk in the lake.
At the east side of the island were observed traces of four canoes
with their prows turned towards the shore. An attempt to raise one of
them--a single-piece canoe of oak--failed, it being so decomposed that
it broke across in the middle.
The age of these crannogs was estimated to be over 1800 years, or
before the Christian era. When they were first constructed the surface
of the lake must have been at least seven feet lower, and at a
subsequent period the west part of the lake must have been twelve feet
deeper. The change in the level of the water was caused by the silting
up of its outlet. The ancient stream from the lake seems to have been
at the west end of the town of Loughrea, where is an alluvial deposit;
whilst at its modern outlet there is strong corn gravel, and a little
below its present bed there seems to be rock. The town is more than
four hundred years old, and since that date the water could scarcely
have changed its level, because the eastern outlet of the lake ran at
the foot of the town wall; and thus forming part of the town defences,
the inhabitants would have kept the stream free.[248]
_Crannog Mac Navin._--_Ante_, pp. 149-50.
_Ballinafad._--_Ante_, p. 24.
_Ballinahinch._--Ante, p. 34.
_Caislen-na-Caillighe._--_Ante_, pp. 33-4.
_Goromna Island._--Ante, p. 33.
_Lough Bola._--_Ante_, p. 34.
_Lough Cam._--Ante, p. 34.
_Lough Hackett_, formerly _Lough Cimbe_ (pronounced Kimmay), _ante_,
p. 157.--An allusion that, in all probability, refers to a siege of
this crannog, occurs in the _Annals_ of Lough Cé, under date A.D. 1067,
where it is stated that Torlogh O’Brien led “a hosting to Loch-Cime.”
COUNTY MAYO.
[Illustration: Fig. 226.--General view of the Crannog of
Loughannaderriga, Achill Island.]
_Loughannaderriga._--There are, doubtless, many persons who, if
asked to point out the exact position of Achill, would be unable to
do so, yet it contains an area of about thirty-six thousand acres,
and a population which may be reckoned by thousands. Here, two miles
from the village of Doogort, is an “imperium in imperio,” an island
within an island, and this is believed to be, at present, the only
authenticated crannog in Mayo, to which county Achill Island belongs.
Loughannaderriga (_the lakelet of the oaks_) is about two hundred yards
in diameter, and in shape somewhat inclined to an oval; it is environed
by abrupt banks of peat, which, in recent years, have considerably
encroached on the water-area. The bottom consists of deep, treacherous
mud, so that an exploration could only be attempted by aid of planks,
and even then a cursory examination was alone found practicable, the
water not having been withdrawn by drainage.
Of the crannog, the diameter is about sixty feet; its exterior face so
worn away by wave action, that the traces of the outer row of piling
are now some feet distant. The Irish-speaking natives still call it
the [Gaelic: Crannogh], and in English designate it “the island”; its
surface is covered with a luxuriant growth of bilberry and _Osmunda
regalis_. An excavation showed--
1. A natural growth of peat, about three and a-half feet thick.
2. A layer of branches.
3. Small stones.
[Illustration: Fig. 227.--Miscellaneous wooden Objects. 2, 3, 5
one-eighth real size; 6 one-fourteenth real size; 1, 4 one-sixteenth
real size.]
Some feet from the exterior face of the crannog, on the side shown in
fig. 226, numerous pointed ends of stakes, evidently dressed with a
sharp metallic tool, were extracted from the mud (fig. 227, No. 1), and
a large portion of another (No. 4) lay on the beach. A fragment of a
beam, mortised at one extremity, was found in close proximity (No. 6);
its quadrangular incision, which did not quite penetrate the plank,
was saucer-shaped at bottom, and an unique arrangement of a peg-hole
in each corner shows the firm manner in which it had been originally
secured: it probably belonged to the framework of the crannog hut. Not
far from this was part of the blade of a canoe paddle (No. 5), the
bottom of a wooden vessel, one side bearing traces of fire (No. 2),
and a stave (most likely of the same utensil), pierced for reception
of the handle (No. 3). There were also several nondescript portions of
worked timber, numerous chips, pieces of charred wood, and a couple of
white sling-stones, consisting of water-worn sea-beach pebbles. Deeply
imbedded in the mud was a large whetstone (fig. 228), much worn on
three sides by the friction of whetting, and bearing deep and sharp
indentations produced by the edges of metallic tools; the fourth side
presents the natural surface of the stone.
[Illustration: Fig. 228.--Whetstone. One-ninth real size.]
[Illustration: Fig. 229. Golden-bronze Pin. Full size.]
The most interesting “find” was a bronze pin (fig. 229), very sharp
at point, the superior portion of the acus ornamented with a row of
circular indentations, and the flattened head pierced with a round
hole, through which passed a thin golden-bronze loop, of material so
fragile that it crumbled away when touched. The pin itself was covered
with a thick coating of “patina” and boggy sediment, which at once
scaled off; it is composed of early and pure bronze called “golden,”
from its resemblance to the precious metal, and it is of the type of
those found in the ancient _Emania_ destroyed in the third century.
There were no traces of either bones or pottery; as the probable level,
on which they might be expected to rest, was not reached.
COUNTY ROSCOMMON.
Twelve crannogs were discovered in this county during the working of
the Commission for the Arterial Drainage of Ireland: these sites have
all been identified.
_Loughlea._--A flint mass, a piece of a circular grindstone, a fragment
of a bone spike, two portions of the blades of iron swords, and an
antique-shaped iron key, were here brought to light. There were three
crannog sites in this lake.[249]
_Muckenagh._--Ante, p. 154.