What is recorded here
Middle Island is a small artificial crannog in the NE end of Lough Rea, built on a pile of stones and set about 80m from the shoreline. Its pear-shaped grassy surface, ringed by mature trees, suggests a place shaped for life rather than left to chance. A wide natural causeway still reaches toward it from the NW, as if the lake itself remembered the path people once walked.
This is one of six crannogs (see also GA105-198----, GA105-198002-, GA105-198003-, GA105-199---- and GA105-224----) located in the NE end of Lough Rea; this one is c. 80m from the shoreline to the NE. It consists of a small roughly pear-shaped island (c. 17.5m NE-SW; c. 8.6m NW-SE) that is artificially built on a pile of stones. The interior is grass covered and several mature trees are growing around its perimeter. Current OSi aerial imagery shows a wide natural causeway (max. Wth 43m) leading towards it from the shoreline to the NW.
Compiled by: Galway Archaeological Survey, UCG
Date of upload: 8 January 2020
The monument record does not grant public access. Check the route and ask the landowner before entering private land.
- What survives
- Recorded monument
Places near here
Middle IslandIslet · 5 yd
Bush IslandIslet · 64 yd
Lakeside Villahouse · 189 yd
Loughrea Garda Síochána Stationgarda station/constabulary barracks · 201 yd
St. Brendans WellHoly well · 269 yd
Long PointHeadland · 1406 yd
Ballygasty Castle in ruinsCastle, unclassified · 1.4 mi
Raruddy Castle (in ruins)Castle, tower house · 1.6 mi
Scalpeen RockNamed rock · 5.4 mi