Balie Islands — Loughgur

One of two crannóga (LI032-039001-) annotated 'Balie Islands' located in a drained section of Lough Gur on the E side of Knockadoon Peninsula. The site is within an area of dense archaeological activity dating principally from the Neolithic and Bronze Age up to the present day around Lough Gur (Cleary 2018). The S crannóg (LI032-039002-) is 50m SSW of the N crannóg (LI032-039002-). The Early Medieval Carraig Aille stone forts (LI032-053002-/003-) are located 320m E on a rocky ridge that defines the E side of the lake. The ‘site of’ a possible church annotated Killalough lies 375m to SSW on the original shoreline of the lake. A bullaun stone (LI032-038----) is located 295m to N. Lough Gur Castle also known as Bouchier's Castle (LI032-022034-) stands 310m to NW. The crannóg is one of two 'Balie Islands' depicted on the 1840 ed. OSi 6-inch map. Drainage of Lough Gur in the mid-19th century reduced the water level which substantially reduced its size. The 1897 ed. OSi 25-inch and the Cassini OSi 6-inch maps do not depict the islands and show the drained lake as wet marshland liable to flooding. The crannóg is visible on marshy ground W of shallow water as a circular stand of trees (ext. diam. c. 27m) on OSi orthoimage taken 2005-12 and on Digital Globe orthoimages taken 2011-2013. Dowd (1896, 68-9) recorded that there ‘are two slight elevations perceptible above the level surface of the drained ground E of Knockadoon, and named Balie Islands, which also appear to be crannóga, constructed when the surrounding area was a flooded morass’. O’Kelly (1944, 28) recorded ‘two sites called the Bailey Islands which are shown on the first edition of the OS map, but do not appear on the later editions. They were situated in the marsh to the east of Knockadoon, but are not now visible. All efforts to trace them have failed’. Cleary (2018, 277) associated the name of the islands with ‘Mr John Bayley, whose family occupied Bouchier’s Castle (LI032-022034-) as agents of the Fane family from the late 17th century’. The outline of a tree and scrub-covered island survives in the centre of the lake. The location is visible on Google Earth orthoimages taken 05/04/2006; 16/03/2016 and 28/06/2018. The placename suggests an association with Caheer Baelee (Bayley's Chair) (LI032-065004-), a site on Knockderc Hill 2.5km S. See attached Google Earth orthoimages Compiled by: Edmond O’Donovan and Caimin O’Brien Date of upload: 20 November 2020