House — Neolithic in Loughgur

In rocky pasture on the S-facing slope of Knockadoon Peninsula, 117m N of and overlooking Lough Gur. The Neolithic round house (Site D House II) was discovered during a campaign of archaeological excavations over 18 seasons led by Professor Seán P. Ó Ríordáin at Lough Gur (1954, 384-413). The site is located within an area of dense archaeological activity dating principally from the Neolithic and Bronze Age up to the present day around the lake (Cleary 2018). Two other houses (Houses I (LI032-022016-); and House III (LI032-022018-) were found during the archaeological excavations at Site D. Further Neolithic and Bronze Age settlement is located adjacent to the site. Archaeological excavations by Ó Ríordáin at Site A (LI032-022010-) were located 100m to SW. Archaeological excavations by Ó Ríordáin at Site C (LI032-022012/013/014/015-) were located c. 20m to SW. Many other archaeological sites are located on the peninsula, including Circle K (LI032-022028-) located 100m NW and Circle J (LI032-022020-) located 45m to NE. The Neolithic house (LI032-022017- Site D House II) is not depicted on historic OSi maps. The house is not visible on OSi orthoimages taken 2005-12 or on Digital Globe orthoimages taken 2011-2013, although the grass covered site of the house is visible between two N-S orientated bands of bedrock 12m apart. Rose Cleary (2018, 87-91) described the site as follows: ‘in a small, narrow valley E of Site C. The architectural style of circular and oval houses suggests a middle Neolithic date (3600-3000 BC), although there are few details on the provenance of the finds. Two post-built houses (Houses II (LI032-022017-) and III (LI032-022018-) were recognised on the excavation, although Ó Ríordáin suggested that more than one construction phase was evident at both houses and that each may have been rebuilt. Bedrock in the area of Site D was close to the surface, and some of the structural posts may have been wedged into bedrock crevices. House I (LI032-022016-) at Site D was rectangular in plan with a stone foundation and was built in the Bronze Age. House IIa was circular; a later, larger house (House IIb) of oval plan was rebuilt on the same site. The evidence for this two-phase construction was a clay floor on the S and W sides of the later house that covered some of the post-holes and a foundation trench of House IIa. The foundation of House IIa was a curved slot-trench for a plank-built wall on the W side; the SW side of this trench was cut into by later pits. The projected arc of House IIa continued across exposed bedrock; structural posts were probably fixed in place into rock crevices and would have been difficult to detect on an excavation. The estimated diameter of House IIa was c. 6m. House IIb was constructed over the footprint of House IIa and built from free-standing posts which formed a roughly oval plan. The estimated dimensions were c. 7.5m (N/S) by 5m (E/W). An off-centre internal hearth recorded on the NE side of the house may have belonged to either House IIa or House IIb. Three large (up to 0.5m) stones or flagstones were on three sides, while a post-hole on the S side may have held a pot-hanger over the fire. Three post-holes within the footprint of the houses may have held structural roof supports for either House IIa or House IIb. There was no evidence for a door in either house, but this was likely to have been on the S or W side rather than on the N or E side, where the ground level rose and the bedrock was high.’ The grass covered site of the house is visible between two N-S orientated bands of bedrock 12m on Google Earth orthoimage taken 28/06/2018. See attached Google Earth orthoimage Compiled by: Edmond O’Donovan Date of upload: 12 November 2020