Crannog in Ballynahinch (ballingarry Par., North Riding)

Situated near the NE shore of Lough Nahinch (Lake of the Island), formerly surrounded by water. The lake has now receded and the N, E and S sides are dry. A roughly circular raised area (dims. 22.5m N-S; 25.4m E-W; H 0.8m) with a timber and stone substructure visible. The interior is covered with loose stones which extend out into the lake to the SW and S. Some timbers with cut edges, protrude from the edge of the site at S. At NW there are the remains of a wooden structure consisting of a row of split timbers set on edge (H above marl 0.53m). This could be the remains of a jetty built in the last century (Trench and Kinahan 1865, 177) or part of the palisade. Some burnt wood is evident in the substructure in the NW quadrant. A stone causeway leading to the site from the E shore may have been built or augmented in the nineteenth century to gain access to the jetty (ibid). The crannóg was partially excavated in 1894 by Kinahan and Trench. Their investigations showed the crannóg construction to be c. 1.5m below the surface and they identified two phases of occupation. Finds included large quantities of hazelnut shells, some walnuts, pig, sheep and cow bones. In 1964 two fragments of small hand-querns were found in the NE quadrant one of which was decorated with a cruciform pattern carved in relief (Cahalan and Hyland 1988, 18). In 1987 a sample of oak palisade was dendro-dated and provided a felling date of between 1026 and 1061 AD (ibid, 19) placing one of the building phases of the crannóg in the eleventh century. The site was described in the OS name books (1840) as 'a circular base of about 50ft (15m) in diameter composed of oak planks touching each other and of about 20ft (6m) in length. At the foundation there are other planks with mortises through these for the perpendicular ones to rest in'. Wakefield described the site as having the appearance of an immense tub about 60ft (18m) in diameter with large planks measuring 2 ft (0.6m) broad and about 6 inches (0.15m) thick (Trench and Kinahan 1865, 177-8). He also noted the possibility of wicker walls indicated by two rows of round perpendicular ash piles, 2.5 inches (0.06m) in diameter which were probably set into the mortices of the horizontal planks described above (ibid., 177-8) The above description is derived from 'The Archaeological Inventory of County Tipperary. Vol. 1 - North Tipperary' compiled by Jean Farrelly and Caimin O'Brien (Dublin: Stationery Office, 2002). In certain instances the entries have been revised and updated in the light of recent research. Date of upload/revision: 22 September 2008