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.
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.
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]
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.)
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.
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.
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]