The Lake Dwellings of Ireland

Section Inside East Margin of Crannog

		ft.	in.
8. Peat,	}	1	0
7. Thin stratum of bluish clay with worn pebbles,
6. Peat,	}	1	0
5. Thin stratum of bluish clay and an angular piece of limestone,
4. Thin stratum of charcoal,
3. Peat,		2	0
2. Clayey peat,		3	0
1. Very clayey peat full of small oak roots,		0	6
		———
		7	6

In the peat Nos. 1, 2, and 3, roots and twigs of oak occurred, and in the peat Nos. 6 and 8 were many twigs and boughs of oak, also stouter pieces of sallow. The cross-section taken along the line ^AB shows the present surface of the ground, with the oak piles, hazel stakes, planks, beams, &c., found in the excavation, also the high water-mark of average spring tides, and the depth of the peat—where proved. Any implements, or other relics that may have remained in this site, must have been long since washed away. A few antiquities are said to have been discovered in the Ardmore peat, but not within the bounds of the crannog, so that some charcoal found in one spot, two feet below the surface, and the “kitchen midden”—which at the close of 1880 became exposed by the action of the sea—form the only traces remaining of man’s former presence in this abode.239

On Arranmore island, in the Bay of Galway, the Rev. W. Kilbride discovered habitations and artificial structures extending from above high water-mark to under the low water-level of spring tides: from this it may be inferred that man existed in Ireland before the last subsidence of the land. The Irish Annals contain much that was formerly looked upon as fabulous relations of inbreaks of the ocean, but which may be reasonably held to be the reflex of traditionary tales having some foundation in fact. Geologists assert that at one time Great Britain and Ireland were connected with the Continent by a great level plain, over which roamed the Megaceros, so that even within the period of the existence of this animal, whose contemporaneity with man may be considered beyond dispute, both seas and continents have changed.

There are proofs of elevation and subsidence in the Bay of Baiæ, where the Temple of Jupiter Serapis “affords in itself alone unequivocal evidence that the relative level of land and sea have changed twice at Puzzuoli since the beginning of the Christian era; and each movement, both of elevation and subsidence, has exceeded twenty feet.”240 It is difficult to decide whether the crannog at Ardmore had, like the Temple of Jupiter, subsided with the land, and had again been elevated: the denudation of the crannog may point to the possibility of the latter hypothesis.

County Limerick

A crannog was discovered in this county during the working of the Arterial Drainage Commissioners. Site unidentified.

Coolcranoge.—Ante, p. 28.

Knockanny.—Ante, p. 156.

Lough Gur.—Ante, pp. 6, 25-6, 83, 150, 156, &c. There was found here a remarkably fine bronze spear-head, now in the collection of General A. Pitt Rivers, F. R. S. The lower part of its socket was ornamented with gold (see figs. ²¹⁴ and ²¹⁵). Homer more than once mentions the gold ring, or ferrule, around the spear-head of Hector. The two following relics—also from Lough Gur—may be seen in the British Museum:—(1) A moiety of a stone mould for casting spear-heads and other pointed objects of various sizes: “it is a four-sided prism, six and a-half inches long, and two and a half inches broad at one end of each face, and one and three-quarter inches at the other. A second similar prism would, it has been observed, give four perfect moulds for casting spear-heads slightly varying in form, but in each case provided with side-loops. These loops are, as usual, semicircular in form on the mould, and were no doubt destined to be flattened in the usual manner by a subsequent process of hammering. There is one special feature in this mould, viz., that at the base of the blade there is a transverse notch in the stone, evidently destined to receive a small pin which would serve to keep the core for the socket in its proper position. There is a similar transverse notch in one of the smaller moulds for the pointed objects”241 (fig. 216). (2) An iron sword, which is ornamented on the blade thus, Symbols: crudely put, ||| + o + |||. The cross-like form does not necessarily denote that the weapon belongs to the Christian era, for an almost similar symbol Symbol: cross inside a circle appears in an ancient Mexican MS. now in the Belfast Museum.242

County Clare

Effernan.—In the year 1873, a gentleman desirous to provide his residence with an ample supply of water, decided on bringing it down from this lake, situated at a distance of about two miles, and at a level of three hundred feet above his house. Before a syphon could be placed in working order, it was necessary to reduce the height of the water much below its ordinary summer level, which was effected by clearing and deepening the outlet. When making the cutting the labourers, at about six feet below the surface, came upon a densely-intertwined layer of roots of a pine forest; the trees had evidently attained maturity in the position in which they were found, and they extended also under the water. The forest must have been very ancient, as no lake could have been formed there at the time of its existence. The roots were in the exact position in which the trees grew, and these, with the direction to which their stumps pointed, seemed to indicate that, while the present prevailing wind is the S.W., it must then have been the N.W. Hills and valleys guide the aerial currents, and some convulsion of the earth’s crust may have altered these, and formed the present lake. When, by drainage, the water had been reduced nine feet, there was laid bare a low neck of land stretching into the lake, its outer end being highest. Along this neck of land ran, in irregular order, a row of posts, from four to six inches in diameter, and which, in general, only just topped the ground. At the extremity of the promontory was an unmistakable crannog, circular in form, and with wooden piles surrounding the exterior; the floor was of stone; and one large flag—seemingly the fireplace—took up the greater part of the interior space. Unfortunately, no one specially interested about lake dwellings was at the time aware of this discovery, and the syphon being completed, crannog and causeway became once more submerged.243

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Province of Connaught

County Galway

Ballinlough is situated in the barony of Leitrim, and parish of Ballinakill; in it were four islands, bearing no distinctive appellation; but G. H. Kinahan, who made the explorations, named them, respectively—North Island (1), (fig. 217), West Island (2), Middle Island (3), East Island (4). In the general view of the lake (fig. 218), North Island (1) is in the far distance; near the mouth of the rivulet is West Island (2); to its right lies Middle Island (3); whilst a glimpse of a portion only of East Island (4) is to be seen. The horns and skulls of numerous red deer have been discovered at various times in the lake-bed; also the head and horns of a Megaceros hibernicus. North Island (1) is nearly one hundred yards from the shore, to which, during the dry season, it was connected by a reedy bank, and, when visited, was a foot above the surface of the water; the excavation was stopped on finding the stratum undisturbed, and no traces around of ancient dwellings, either of stone, or of piling. West Island (2), twenty-six yards from the shore, was connected with it during the dry season; its form was a rude oval, the diameter thirty-three and fifteen yards, respectively, and there were flat stones round the outside. An excavation in the centre showed:—

		ft.	in.
Bog and clay, with a few bones,		2	0
Wood ashes, full of charred bones,	over	1	6
		———
		3	6

Middle Island (3) lies nearly eighty-four yards from West Island (2); it was almost circular, its diameter being thirty-two yards; and outside, for a width of nearly twelve feet, it was lined with regularly-placed flat stones. When the water was low, piles could be distinctly observed around it; but the porous nature of the materials, joined to the height of the water at the time, precluded a systematic examination. A small excavation near the western extremity gave the following section:—

		ft.	in.
6. Peat and clay,	about	0	9
5. Peat and stones, with a few bones,		0	9
4. Wood ashes and peat, quantities of unbroken cherry stones, broken hazel nuts, broken animal bones and teeth, also a ball of red colouring matter,		2	6
3. Basket flooring, one and a-half inch thick,		0	1½
2. Oak beams,		0	6
1. Peat,	over	0	6
		———
		5	1½

The oak beams were sawn, not split; they seemed to run nearly N. and S.; through them, at distances of nine inches, were pairs of dowels, and at intervals of nine inches were ash poles, two and a-half inches thick, through which the dowels passed and secured the flooring beams. The wicker-work flooring was formed of hazel rods; and the crannog would appear to have been divided into huts, or apartments, as portion of a row of ash piles was observable. Below the beams there was a stratum of peat; but in consequence of the rapid influx of water, the working had to be abandoned at this point. No relics were discovered, owing probably to the narrow area of the excavation. East Island (4) was of irregular pear-shape, sixty-seven yards by fifty; it lay three hundred feet from the southern shore, and seemed to be partly natural, partly artificial. An excavation in the centre gave four feet of peat, and under it was shell marl, whilst for a radius of about twelve feet around the island there were layers of regularly-placed stones, small and flat; also at the S.E. shore there were two beams, seven inches wide; the height of the water, however, precluded further examination.

The lake occupied a hollow among low hills, the only outlet being at the village of Ballinlough, where there is an artificial cut through a bank of coarse boulder clay. If this cut were filled up, the water would rise at least four feet higher than at present; and it would seem to have been at that level not long since, for all round the beach, to over that height, there is a deposit of shell marl and peat. In the bank of drift on the west of the village is the trace of an ancient ravine, artificially filled up with stuff taken from an oblong excavation (marked a on fig. 217). To account for this artificial filling, it may be suggested that the inhabitants of the crannogs were flooded out by an enemy, who stopped the egress of the lake, thus raising the water until the islands were swamped; after this they remained submerged until the opening of the present cut. In later years they had been occasionally occupied for purposes of illicit distillation.244

Lough Naneevin is situated in the townland of Gortacarnam, barony of Moycullen. In the summer of 1865, G. H. Kinahan observed, in this lake, a crannog which is described as oval in form, about one hundred and fifty feet in length, seventy-five feet wide, and on the south a narrow causeway, then partly submerged, had joined it to the mainland. The island bore traces of having (since last inhabited) been covered with water at least two feet higher, for shell marl was deposited on the portion below that level. On the south shore of the crannog there was a row of round oak piles, four inches in diameter, and on the S.W. shore were two rows of similar piles, five feet apart; alongside them were oak beams, and there was a double row of piles, seemingly part of a wall, bearing north and south. No piles were observable on the east of the crannog, but there was an irregularly-laid flooring of beams of ash, oak, and sallow; from these latter, it was supposed, had sprouted the sallow trees, which at that time formed a fringe round the island. The piles had been pointed with a sharp-cutting instrument; therefore metal had been in use either when the crannog was constructed, or repaired.

Six small excavations made near the centre of the island, where the surface of the crannog was three feet above the water-level, disclosed the following section:—

		ft.	in.
Bog, with a few bones, sticks, and stones,		3	6
A bed of regularly laid fern-stalks and leaves (Pteris aquilina, or brake fern), on a flooring of wicker-work, made of hazel rods, about an inch in diameter; over the ferns were a few bones and a quantity of nutshells,		0	6
Bog-stuff, mixed with branches, and containing a few stones and logs of timber,	(over)	5	0

About a foot below the water-level were traces of what G. H. Kinahan considered to be a basket-flooring; and a large flag-stone, used as a hearth, was found resting on an accumulation of wood-ashes, three feet in depth. Some distance to the west was a long rude bench (or perhaps the foundation of a wall) formed of stones. The height of the water prevented excavations outside the crannog, therefore few bones were met with, but a little east of the fireplace was the probable site of the kitchen midden.245

Loughrea is situated in the barony of same name. In the locality there lingered a tradition that a city lay buried under this lake, and indeed on a clear calm day—where the waters are shallow—there may be observed various heaps of stones, placed with a degree of regularity that renders it probable they may be remains of ancient lake dwellings. Upon examination it was ascertained that four of the islands in the lough were undoubted crannogs, and it was quite possible that another (known as Blake Island) might prove to be also of artificial formation.

Reed Island, situated at the N.W. corner of the lake, about fifty yards from the shore, lies too low to be observable in any picture. Excavations showed (section, fig. 219)—(6) marl; (5) peat; (4) large stones; (3) a layer of birch trunks and branches; (2 and 1) two layers of squared oak beams, laid at right angles to each other. The island was surrounded with a circle of piles (fig. 219)—two feet apart—that were seemingly strengthened against wave action by a layer of flat stones, deposited with great regularity; three sets of piles crossed the crannog, which rose about six inches above the ordinary level of the lake, and the lowest beams (1 in section) were four feet two inches beneath the then water surface. The island originally consisted of a wooden platform, enclosed by “a circular wall, the framework of which was the piles, the interstices being filled with sods. As the lake rose, it was found necessary to raise the floor, first by a mass of birch timbers and branches, and afterwards by a layer of stones.”246

Shore Island, situated immediately below Lord Dunlo’s house, and a quarter of a mile from Reed Island, appears to have been formerly connected with the mainland by a causeway formed of marl and peat; but in comparatively recent times the waters of the lake have worn a gap through it, about fifteen yards in breadth. (Plate XLIX., figs. 220 to 223.) The S.S.E. and E. shores were found to be a mass of stone, between and outside two semicircles of oak piles, whilst the W. and N. were banked up with shell marl. Twenty yards south of the island, three circles of piles, three feet apart, could on a calm day be seen below the water. Thirty-five feet from the E. shore part of a circle of piles was visible under the water, being perhaps portion of the circle found in the most northern excavation made. From the east shore a double row of piles extended from the circle, and on the north of these were horizontal beams in parallel line. A little N.W. of the double row, in an old working, there was part of a circle of piles, and in another a row of piles running nearly E. and W. Some of the upright piles formerly bore marks showing that horizontal beams had been mortised on them. This settlement was thoroughly explored, and in it basket-flooring and partitions were noticed (ante, p. 32). In 1848, among the numerous bones raised from this site were perfect crania of oxen, sheep, goats, deer, pigs, and what seemed to be those of large dogs, or wolves, together with the head of a Megaceros hibernicus, measuring over thirteen feet from tip to tip of the antlers.247

Ash Island (figs. ²²⁰ and ²²⁴) is sixty yards from the shore at the south-west corner of the lake. When examined, the surface above water measured twenty yards in diameter, and it was covered with flat stones, which continued for a short distance under the water. Towards the S. W. a spur, covered with small shingle, extended outwards about three yards, and to the N. and S. W. were similar spurs stretching to a distance of four yards from the water edge. On the N. E. there were visible, below the water, a number of parallel logs of round ash, six inches in diameter, and two feet apart; also one or two logs on the east side. A few piles of oak were discovered; there were no indications, however, that the island had at any time been surrounded by a regular piling, but there was found a wicker, or dividing wall, the stakes composed of round fir, two inches in diameter, and one foot apart. The finds consisted merely of fractured bones, wood ashes, hazel-nuts, two hones, and a round sea-stone.

Island M’Coo is one hundred and eighty yards from the nearest shore. It seemed to be surrounded by a circle of piles thirty-five feet in diameter, and in a season of low water gun-barrels and bronze spear-heads were said to have been brought up in the prongs of eel-spears. The incongruity of the juxta-position of gun-barrels and bronze spear-heads can easily be explained. In the year 1798 all the guns seized throughout the surrounding country were brought into the town of Loughrea, and the magistrate in charge, having orders to destroy them, caused them to be carried out and sunk in the lake. At the east side of the island were observed traces of four canoes with their prows turned towards the shore. An attempt to raise one of them—a single-piece canoe of oak—failed, it being so decomposed that it broke across in the middle.

The age of these crannogs was estimated to be over 1800 years, or before the Christian era. When they were first constructed the surface of the lake must have been at least seven feet lower, and at a subsequent period the west part of the lake must have been twelve feet deeper. The change in the level of the water was caused by the silting up of its outlet. The ancient stream from the lake seems to have been at the west end of the town of Loughrea, where is an alluvial deposit; whilst at its modern outlet there is strong corn gravel, and a little below its present bed there seems to be rock. The town is more than four hundred years old, and since that date the water could scarcely have changed its level, because the eastern outlet of the lake ran at the foot of the town wall; and thus forming part of the town defences, the inhabitants would have kept the stream free.248

Crannog Mac Navin.—Ante, pp. 149-50.

Ballinafad.—Ante, p. 24.

Ballinahinch.—Ante, p. 34.

Caislen-na-Caillighe.—Ante, pp. 33-4.

Goromna Island.—Ante, p. 33.

Lough Bola.—Ante, p. 34.

Lough Cam.—Ante, p. 34.

Lough Hackett, formerly Lough Cimbe (pronounced Kimmay), ante, p. 157.—An allusion that, in all probability, refers to a siege of this crannog, occurs in the Annals of Lough Cé, under date A.D. 1067, where it is stated that Torlogh O’Brien led “a hosting to Loch-Cime.”

County Mayo

Loughannaderriga.—There are, doubtless, many persons who, if asked to point out the exact position of Achill, would be unable to do so, yet it contains an area of about thirty-six thousand acres, and a population which may be reckoned by thousands. Here, two miles from the village of Doogort, is an “imperium in imperio,” an island within an island, and this is believed to be, at present, the only authenticated crannog in Mayo, to which county Achill Island belongs. Loughannaderriga (the lakelet of the oaks) is about two hundred yards in diameter, and in shape somewhat inclined to an oval; it is environed by abrupt banks of peat, which, in recent years, have considerably encroached on the water-area. The bottom consists of deep, treacherous mud, so that an exploration could only be attempted by aid of planks, and even then a cursory examination was alone found practicable, the water not having been withdrawn by drainage.

Of the crannog, the diameter is about sixty feet; its exterior face so worn away by wave action, that the traces of the outer row of piling are now some feet distant. The Irish-speaking natives still call it the Crannogh, and in English designate it “the island”; its surface is covered with a luxuriant growth of bilberry and Osmunda regalis. An excavation showed—

1. A natural growth of peat, about three and a-half feet thick.

2. A layer of branches.

3. Small stones.

Some feet from the exterior face of the crannog, on the side shown in fig. 226, numerous pointed ends of stakes, evidently dressed with a sharp metallic tool, were extracted from the mud (fig. 227, No. 1), and a large portion of another (No. 4) lay on the beach. A fragment of a beam, mortised at one extremity, was found in close proximity (No. 6); its quadrangular incision, which did not quite penetrate the plank, was saucer-shaped at bottom, and an unique arrangement of a peg-hole in each corner shows the firm manner in which it had been originally secured: it probably belonged to the framework of the crannog hut. Not far from this was part of the blade of a canoe paddle (No. 5), the bottom of a wooden vessel, one side bearing traces of fire (No. 2), and a stave (most likely of the same utensil), pierced for reception of the handle (No. 3). There were also several nondescript portions of worked timber, numerous chips, pieces of charred wood, and a couple of white sling-stones, consisting of water-worn sea-beach pebbles. Deeply imbedded in the mud was a large whetstone (fig. 228), much worn on three sides by the friction of whetting, and bearing deep and sharp indentations produced by the edges of metallic tools; the fourth side presents the natural surface of the stone.

The most interesting “find” was a bronze pin (fig. 229), very sharp at point, the superior portion of the acus ornamented with a row of circular indentations, and the flattened head pierced with a round hole, through which passed a thin golden-bronze loop, of material so fragile that it crumbled away when touched. The pin itself was covered with a thick coating of “patina” and boggy sediment, which at once scaled off; it is composed of early and pure bronze called “golden,” from its resemblance to the precious metal, and it is of the type of those found in the ancient Emania destroyed in the third century. There were no traces of either bones or pottery; as the probable level, on which they might be expected to rest, was not reached.

County Roscommon

Twelve crannogs were discovered in this county during the working of the Commission for the Arterial Drainage of Ireland: these sites have all been identified.

Loughlea.—A flint mass, a piece of a circular grindstone, a fragment of a bone spike, two portions of the blades of iron swords, and an antique-shaped iron key, were here brought to light. There were three crannog sites in this lake.249

Muckenagh.—Ante, p. 154.

Derreen Lake.—There were here found an iron hatchet and a pair of stirrup irons.250

Kilglass.251—Of this site the name alone is given.

Cloonfree, Cloonfinlough.—In the year 1852, by the operation of drainage works in the vicinity of Strokestown, the level of the three lakes of Cloonfree,252 Cloonfinlough, and Ardakillen was greatly lowered, and one artificial islet in the first-named sheet of water, and two in Cloonfinlough were laid bare. Of the latter, one island was one hundred and thirty feet in diameter, constructed on oak piles driven into the soft marl at regular distances, bound together by horizontal oak stretchers forming a triple stockade, with an interval of five feet between each. To the N. W. were a number of irregularly-placed piles, stretching a short distance from the islet. The centre of the stockades was laid with trunks of small oak-trees, placed flat on the marl; they all pointed to a common centre, thus forming a platform whereon the island itself was constructed. When first observed, there was jutting out from the island, towards the west, a kind of jetty or pier, formed of a double row of piles and stretchers running parallel, and about eight feet asunder, on which logs of timber were laid closely and horizontally.

In a short time very little of either the gangway or stockades remained, so much had been broken up and removed by the peasantry. A trench—twenty feet long by five wide—having been cut as near the centre of the island as possible, there was found, at about eight inches under the surface, a very closely-laid pavement of irregular-sized boulder stones; then a stratum of black earth, with occasional fragments of bones through it, became exposed, and about six inches beneath this was a considerable layer of burnt earth, with several inches of unburnt clay under it. It is evident that the height of the island had been raised and a new surface pavement laid, for then came a second very closely-laid floor of large-sized, flat-surfaced stones, beneath which were alternate layers of black earth, burnt clay, and marl, reaching down to the log flooring, and interspersed, like the one above it, with occasional bones and fragments of bones. A human skull, and portions of others, were got on the exterior edge. Between the island and the ruined church were found two single-piece oak canoes, little more than two feet wide, the stern of one being perforated with numerous auger holes about an inch in diameter.253

Close to the island were numerous articles of a miscellaneous description, some of great antiquity, others of more modern date; also a deposit of bones of Bos longifrons, Cervus elaphus, Equus caballus, Sus scrofa, Capra hircus, fallow deer, sheep, fowl, dogs, &c. One or two osseous fragments, said to be human, were found in the lowest stratum, together with splintered bones and horns of the Megaceros hibernicus. Traces of this great “Bighorn” have (as already noticed) been found also in the crannog of Breagho, in the lacustrine settlement in Loughrea, and in Ballinlough, i.e. in connection with four crannog sites, whilst the exploration of the cave of Ballynamintra,254 situated near Cappagh, county Waterford, has proved the contemporaneity of man with the Megaceros. In that cave, and lying but a little over the stratum which contained the bones of the Megaceros, was found the bone handle of what, judging from its ferruginous colour, appeared to have been an iron blade.255

Amongst the bronze relics, not the least remarkable was a lamp, of which the accompanying illustration affords a correct idea. It measures in extreme length four inches and five-eighths. The bottom was perforated, evidently for the admission of a support or stand, up or down which the lamp could have been slid to suit the convenience of anyone using it. Lamps fashioned in this way are still in common use in Italy. The aperture to admit a stand has been covered by a small plate of iron about the thickness of a shilling. A similar lamp in the collection of Celtic antiquities formed by the late Dean Dawson, as well as the Cloonfinlough specimen, are now in the Museum of the Royal Irish Academy. The design is graceful and classic, so much so, indeed, as to suggest the idea that the little object may have formed portion of a spoil taken from Britain at a time while yet Roman influence there prevailed. Raids by the Irish on the coasts of Britain were very frequent, from whence they generally returned laden with spoil: this may account for traces of Roman civilization discovered in Ireland, for hoards of Roman coin have been unearthed in various localities.

Ardakillen.—In this lake one of the four crannogs discovered was constructed of both stones and oak piling. Fig. 231 represents a section of this island. The upper line (^a) shows the former high water-level before the drainage operations; (^b) the ordinary winter flood; and (^c) the average summer level.

Under a slight earthy deposit there was a deep layer of loose stones, bounded by an enclosing wall, the foundation supported by piling. The lower portion of the island consisted of clay, peat, and stones, mingled with strata of ashes, bones, and logs of timber. The various rows of oak-piling are shown in the section; the sheet-piling, driven in obliquely, formed an unbroken circle round the island. When the level of the lake was lowered, four islands became visible, and on the largest upwards of fifty tons of bones were found: this is probably the crannog mentioned in the Irish Annals, under dates 1368 and 1388 (ante, p. 154). The scene which this site presented shortly after the lowering of the water-level was very remarkable; scores of persons visited it, at first in search of bones, for which they found a ready sale as manure, and afterwards with the view of picking up antiques, with which the bog-matter around the sheet-piling or stockade was plentifully studded. Large numbers of these were disposed of to an English collector, and amongst the objects known to have been obtained by him was a beautifully-formed vessel of wood, bound round with plates of thin golden bronze, upon which a variety of designs were displayed.256 What appears to have been a very similar article was found many years ago in deepening the bed of the Kinnegad river, and is figured (p. 67) in Wilde’s Boyne and Blackwater. A “dug out,” eighteen feet in length, discovered lying on the bottom of the lake, was wantonly destroyed, and ultimately utilised for firewood. Near the crannog was a canoe, forty feet in length, and four feet across the bow; it was hollowed out of a single trunk of oak, and in it were a skull, a spear-head, and a bronze pin. The skull bears the mark of no less than twenty sword-cuts, showing the murderous conflict in which its owner must have been engaged. Near it was found a neck-piece of iron with twenty feet of rude chain attached257 (fig. 232). Another set of “irons” (fig. 233) came from a crannog in the immediate neighbourhood, and from the size it is likely they were intended for ankle-fetters; it is stated that similar instruments have elsewhere occurred in Irish lacustrine sites, and, strange to say, in one instance there were traces of gilding. In Irish MSS. allusions frequently occur to the practice of putting captives in fetters; they were sometimes so severely manacled as to produce almost unbearable torture. Prisoners were often slain when fettered. One instance, though a comparatively modern one, will suffice:—According to the Annals of Loch Cé, in the year 1585, a son of Teige O’Rorke, and a son of Magnus Oge O’Currin, were captured, “placed in irons on Loch-na-cula,” in the county Leitrim, and slain.

The skull found lying in the bottom of the canoe was of the oval or elliptical (Dolicho cephalic) type, characteristic of the natives of western or southern Europe. There is a theory that in primeval times in Erin there were two races, each distinctly marked both by features and the form of the cranium. The one possessed thick elliptical skulls, low foreheads, deep orbits, high cheek-bones, prominent mouths, and narrow chins; the other had round, or globular (Brachi cephalic) skulls, possessed more intellect, and less marked features. Wilde observes that the two fragments of human skulls discovered in the crannog of Lagore258 (ante, p. 204) partook of the character of the long-headed race, whilst the antiquities found with them would lead to the belief that the persons to whom the skulls had belonged did not live later than the tenth century. Good examples of both races may still be seen amongst the modern Irish.

“There are reasons for considering that the Ardakillen skull belonged to a young adult, or to a man in the prime of life. This opinion is based upon the fact that the coronal and sagittal sutures were not obliterated. (The coronal suture is the name given to the line of articulation between the frontal and parietal bones; it forms a vertical transverse line over the top of the front of the skull. The sagittal, or interparietal suture, occupies a median longitudinal position between the two parietal bones.) The coalescence into one plate of bone (calvarium, or skull-cap) of the frontal and the two parietal bones, and the consequent obliteration of the sutures (coronal and sagittal), generally occurs between thirty and forty years of age; however, the period at which this union commences, and the order in which it proceeds, is subject to so much variation, that no more than an approximation to the age of the skull is attainable thereby.

“Examination of the teeth remaining in one side of the upper jaw—the opposite side of the jaw was broken away—showed that the third molar tooth (dens sapientiæ) had been erupted.

“The many marks of cutting instruments upon the skull were found chiefly over the vertex and the frontal and occipital regions. In many the force had been applied at right angles to the cranium, resulting in nicks or linear marks; in several horizontally, so as to slice or shave off a portion of the outer table of the bone. In no case was there a perforation of the inner table apparent, nor a fracture or fissure of the entire thickness of the skull, whence it might be inferred that the weapons were not of any great weight; the force of the blows might have been broken by protecting headgear, thick coils of matted hair, or by defensive movements of the arms. There were no appearances to negative the idea that all, or the majority of, the cuts were received about the same date. They have all the characters of ante mortem injuries, as contrasted with such injuries as the skull is liable to from rough usage, or from its being knocked about. From the distribution of the marks it may be assumed that the man was in an upright or semi-upright position. In the hacking of a dead and prostrate enemy the wounds would be on the part of the head which was uppermost.

“Though there is no single wound which must have proved fatal ex necessitate rei, death might have ensued from the accumulation of injuries, from concussion, erysipelas, or secondary inflammation of the brain or its membranes.”259

County Leitrim

Twenty crannogs were discovered in this county during the working of the Commission for the arterial drainage of Ireland: these sites have all been identified.

Drumaleague may be cited as a good example of a lacustrine dwelling: the form circular, and, with the exception of the hearth-stones, it was composed wholly of wood, principally alder. Drumaleague lake, situated in the vicinity of Lough Scur, was originally about a mile in length. The level of the water having been lowered thirteen feet, two crannogs became visible, as also a canoe—hollowed out of a single trunk of oak—eighteen feet long, twenty-two inches broad, square at stem and stern, and having apertures or row-locks cut in the sides.

The annexed plan of one of the islands conveys a good idea of the general arrangement of this class of structure. The outer line of stakes enclosed a circle sixty feet in diameter, and within the enclosure there were groups of stakes—in some parts two or three deep—driven into the ground, seemingly for purposes connected with some internal arrangement. ^A, the central oblong portion, consists of a platform of round logs cut in lengths of from four to six feet, possibly the floor of the hut; ^B, a collection of stones with marks of fire on them; ^C, a heap of stiff clay; ^D, the root of a large tree nearly buried in the peat, the surface of the wood bevelled off, so as to form a sort of table, under which was found a considerable quantity of bones, apparently those of deer and swine.

Fig. 235 is a section of the second crannog, which was surrounded by a tolerably regular circular enclosure formed of a single row of oak stakes F, F; it was seventy-two feet in diameter. The upper stratum ^B, consisted of horizontal logs of alder, reposing upon a black peaty surface; the logs were from three to eight inches in diameter, completely water soaked and rotten: this stratum of timber was three feet six inches deep. ^A, a heap of stones with marks of fire on them. Other hearths were found in different parts of the island. ^C, the lower stratum of decayed and blackened sticks and branches of all descriptions lying in every direction: this layer extended as far as it was pierced in the examination, viz., about four feet, but was evidently of greater depth. D, D, two heaps of stones found in the lower stratum. ^E, the kitchen midden, in which was a large quantity of bones of deer, swine, oxen, &c., that lay four feet below the surface. There was here found also the thin topstone of a quern, formed of micaceous quartzite, smooth upon the grinding surface, but otherwise rude and unfinished: the hole for the handle passes quite through; the grain-hole, two and a-half inches in diameter, is not directly in the centre.260

Lough Scur.—This crannog is alluded to in the Annals of Loch Cé, under the following dates:—1345, four sons of Cathal Mac-in-caich Mac Raghnaill were taken prisoners on Loch-an-Scuir, and put to death; 1390, O’Rorke, who had been in confinement, escaped to the castle of Loch-an-Scuir, but was overtaken and slain “when coming out of his cott”; 1580, Loch-an-Scuir was taken, and Maelsechlainn Mac Raghnaill slain. On this site was found the largest quern in the Museum, R.I.A., the nether-stone being twenty and three-quarter inches long by three and three-quarter inches thick; the aperture for the pivot one and three-quarter inches deep, the same across; it is surrounded by a raised lip to retain in position the upper stone, which is nineteen and a-half inches in diameter by two and three-quarter inches in thickness: the grain aperture is three and a-half inches wide; upon the upper surface is the mark of the cross-bar of the pivot, its upper surface left in a rude state; it has one handle-hole. The stone mould, figured ante, p. 72, was found here, and a model of a portion of the oak framework of the crannog—one-quarter real size—was deposited in the Museum, R.I.A.

Lough Rinn (the lake of the promontory) lies in the barony of Mohill. It is mentioned in the Annals of Loch Cé, under date 1345, when O’Conor, “king” of Connaught, was killed by an arrow at Loch Airinn whilst assisting Mac Raghnaill, to whom the crannog on the lake belonged; for the sept of the Mac Rannals formerly possessed the neighbouring district, then called Conmaicue Moyrein. In the year 1847, the waters of Lough Rinn having being lowered, two canoes were found imbedded in the mud near an old castle at the promontory from whence the locality derives its name; there was also a chain, or manacle, composed of iron rods, looped at their ends, like one found in the Strokestown crannogs. One of these canoes was a “single-piece,” hollowed out of oak, and flat-bottomed, the length thirteen feet and the breadth nearly two feet throughout; the sides were only four inches high; but the original depth must have been greater. In front of the old castle stands an island covered with self-sown ash and thorn, and constructed with wooden piles, of slight scantling, but perfectly sound; “the paling was interlaced and pegged down in a very rude manner: the island appeared to have been formed inside of it, and raised upon a similar description of work.” A small bronze arrow and a spear-head were found two feet deep in a gravel shoal close to Rinn Castle, between Loughs Rinn and Sallagh.

St. John’s Lough contained four crannogs, in which three silver coins of Edward I., II., and III. were found.

Loughtown crannog measured one hundred and twenty feet from east to west by one hundred feet from north to south, and was surrounded by a mass of stakes upwards of fifteen feet wide, inclining in towards the centre of the island.

Aghakilconnel Lough.—Three iron pots, one of them triangular in form, were found on this site.

Lough MacHugh contained two crannogs; one measured seventy-four feet by one hundred and eighteen feet.

Cloonbo and Cloonturk Loughs had each two sites.

Cloonfinnan, Cloonboniagh, Castlefore, and Funshinagh Loughs, each contained a crannog.

Crannog Island.—No account is given of this site.

Manorhamilton.—A crannog, a canoe paddle, and other articles were discovered not far from this village.261

Muinter Eolius.—A crannog in this district is mentioned in the Irish Annals (ante, p. 152).

County Sligo

Glencar lake, situated between the counties of Sligo and Leitrim, is embosomed in mountains; to the north lies the Ben-Bulben range, and to the south the Castlegal range with bold precipitous sides, its grey limestone cliffs resembling ancient weather-beaten fortifications, and its slopes in parts clothed with plantations of fir. The rain that falls on the summits of the Ben-Bulben range descends to the vale in numerous streamlets, which, after a continuance of wet weather, appear when viewed from a distance like streaks of silver. Some form waterfalls of more or less magnitude, of which one is called in Irish Sruth-an-ail-an-ard, or the stream against the height; because in this instance, when the wind blows from a certain point, the ordinary laws of hydrology seem to be reversed, and the water, instead of falling, is either driven upwards and back against the mountain, or it is blown outwards in a sheet of spray, like a pennant. Ben-Bulben, or Ben-Gulban, Gulban’s Peak, is said to be so named from Gulban, son of Nial of the Nine Hostages, who was fostered near it. Gulban was ancestor of the O’Donnells, who, through this mountain gorge, frequently poured their forces into Sligo. In the year 1595 O’Donnell, when pursued by Bingham, retired to this valley, in full confidence that the wary Saxon would not attempt to follow him through the narrow and difficult defile, and in 1597, the same chief encamped in the immediate vicinity of the eastern crannog. So late as 1609, in a curious old map of the county, the valley of Glencar and the slopes of Ben-Bulben are delineated as covered with wood, and the following quaintly-worded information is appended:—“Ye high hills of Ben-Bulben, where yearly timbereth a falcon esteemed the hardiest in Ireland.” The locality is still the habitat of the peregrine falcon.

Although, in the present day, lovers of the picturesque resort to Glencar, yet, probably, few are aware that the locality was anciently the home of a considerable lacustrine population. In the early part of this century, when the level of the lake had been lowered by drainage operations, several crannogs became visible; and the one situated at the eastern extremity, where the stream enters the lake, had seemingly been the largest. Broken bones, antlers of deer, a quantity of old timber, and some articles of bronze (amongst them a tweezers) were said to have been obtained. In the Annals of the Four Masters, under date 1541, this site is noticed as the scene of strife between two branches of the O’Rourkes.—“The eastern crannog, on the lake of Glen Dallain,262 was taken by the sons of Donal, son of Donogh O’Rourke, from Donogh, the son of Donogh O’Rourke. In some time after, the sons of Donogh O’Rourke, namely, Donal and Ferganainm, made an attack on the crannog, and privately set fire to the fortress; that act was perceived and detected, and they were pursued on the lake and were overtaken by the sons of Donal; Ferganainm, the son of Donogh, was slain, and drowned by them; and Donal having been taken prisoner, was hanged by the sons of Donal, the son of Donogh O’Rourke.” At the western end of the lake—on the subsidence of the water after drainage—four crannogs became visible; but, owing to the subsequent silting up of the cutting in the bed of the Drumcliff river, they have all again disappeared, with the exception of the largest, which, at the time of the drainage, was accessible from the land dryshod, though now the water reaches to a wader’s knees. To the east of this crannog there is still a considerable depth of water: the beach descends rapidly, and layers of large beams, from six to seven inches in diameter, can be seen radiating from a common centre; in some instances, three or even four layers can be traced. Cross-beams are noticeable, also piles driven in at intervals; these are only three or four inches in diameter, and sharply pointed at the ends; this side of the crannog presents the appearance of having been denuded of stones. The height of the water prevents exploration; but it has been roughly computed that, including the wooden substructure now submerged, the diameter had formerly averaged seventy feet, or possibly more. Careful search amongst the stones merely led to the discovery of fractured bones of Bos longifrons, Cervus elaphus, Sus scrofa, &c., and numerous teeth of mammalia, together with a fossil, possibly a selected specimen used as an ornament or charm, and pronounced to be a Zaphrentis—a coral of the carboniferous formation.

“… in that rock are shapes of shells and forms
Of creatures in old worlds, of nameless worms
Whose generations lived and died ere man,
A worm of other class, to crawl began.”

Opposite the crannog, the beach on the mainland is strewn with fractured bones similar to those on the island. The antlers of a Cervus elaphus were found close to the shore, and a wooden peg (ante, p. 104, fig. 108) was seen lying on the bottom near a beam. In one of the mythical legends of the “Pursuit of Diarmuid and Grainne,” mention is made of the Glencar lake-dwellings as one of their places of refuge.

Lough Arrow.—Not far from the old Abbey of Ballindoon is an artificial island formed almost entirely of stones; the earth—in which a few young firs are now growing—was brought to it by the late proprietor, J. Gethin. This crannog, the largest of a group, still stands well above the surface of the lake. To the north—but separated from it by a deep and narrow channel—is a shoal called “Sunken Island,” which is in summer weather almost dry, and around both these sites were numerous fractured bones of the Bos longifrons, Cervus elaphus, and Sus scrofa. Still further to the north, and close to the shore of Ballindoon demesne, is plainly discernible the summit of a large pile of stones, evidently deposited by human agency, but the depth of water effectually precluded any hope of obtaining handicraft “finds.” The island at Annaghcloy Point is said to be artificial, and around Oilean-na-prechaun (Crow Island)—seemingly formed of small stones, and situated near the exit of the river Unshin from Lough Arrow, at Bellarush bridge—were found lying on the beach numerous fractured bones of the usual crannog type.

Lochanacrannog is the name of a small townland in the barony of Tireragh, near the residence of Sir Malby Crofton, Bart. The small pond in which the crannog is situated becomes almost dry in summer, yet, despite this favourable circumstance, no relics have been discovered. A trench cut through the island showed that it was composed of clay mingled with some few stones, and these, around the exterior edge, were arranged in a systematic manner.

Ballygawley.—This lake, picturesquely situated at the foot of the Slieve Dæane range of mountains, is embosomed in wood, which may be viewed as now representing the primeval mantle that had formerly covered the neighbouring slopes, when

“The wolf, the wild-cat, and the bear,
Prowled in these woods, or made their lair.”

The crannog lies about one hundred and eighty yards from the eastern shore, and the diameter of the area covered with stones is eighty-five feet, but the wooden substructure extends to a considerable distance under water. The beams, protruding from under the superincumbent stones, appeared—as is usual—to radiate from a common centre, but two beams on the west shore, and one that was raised from a depth of one foot under the present water surface on the south shore, seemed to lie at a tangent to the circle of the crannog. In fig. 238 the mortises a, b secured the heads of piles, and c, d (of larger size) may have held some of the radial beams. The highest point of the crannog now stands about five feet above the level of the lake, which has been reduced three feet in height, as the result of drainage operations carried out by the proprietor, Colonel Cooper. Some of the encircling piles remain in position; three were noticed on the north, and one on the south-east shore. To the west and south the water is shallow, and this shoal would seem to have been the “kitchen midden,” or refuse heap, for numerous teeth of the Bos longifrons were here dredged up, and close to the encircling piles lay a quantity of fractured hazel nuts and some pieces of charcoal. On the east and west there were, in the fine sand on the crannog beach, small portions of calcined bones, resembling those found in the cromlech interments at Carrowmore. A. W. Foot, M.D., to whom they were submitted, states that these fragments were “undoubtedly bone, several of them unmistakably calcined (from carbonaceous residue). Some of the fragments are entirely composed of carbonate of lime, others are a mixture of carbonate and phosphate of lime. It could not be determined whether they are animal or human; this should be conjectured from surrounding or collateral circumstances.”

Lough Gill is one of the numerous localities in Ireland to which is attached the legend of a buried city. Amongst the peasantry there long lingered a tradition that these waters had overspread a plain whereon stood the ancient town of Sligo, the numerous islands being supposed to represent former knolls on its green expanse. As the result of recent extensive drainage operations in the county Leitrim, a large additional amount of water has, through the river Bonnett, been directed into Lough Gill at its eastern extremity. The consequent greatly increased height of surface would, of itself, present an insuperable bar to exploration, so that no means remain of ascertaining if an extensive lacustrine settlement had ever really existed here of old. Within the actual bounds of the lake, which is seven miles in length, the islands, highly picturesque, and of some extent—one of them contains twenty-five acres—are of undoubted natural formation; there is, however, near the site of the ancient Castle of Annagh—noticed in the Annals of the Four Masters, under date 1533—one small islet, bearing a crannog-like appearance, but, as far as can now be ascertained, no traces of occupation have been found around it. The short stretch of the Garvogue, or Sligo river, which forms the outlet from the lake to the sea, seems to present the peculiar features characteristic of sites the most favoured by a lacustrine population, viz., good fishing-ground, and wide borders of marsh on the adjoining mainland. The ancient name of the demesne of Hazlewood was Annagh (a swamp), and a portion of the grounds which skirt the river, and now remarkable for its peculiarly ornamental planting, was so late as sixty years since a mere spongy bog, on which no firm footing was obtainable. The opposite shore, called Cleveragh, was of still softer and more watery nature, and its name implies that either hurdles or rude wicker-work bridges had been formerly used for crossing the river or the marshy spots near it.263 Along this side, and but a short distance from the shore, there were, at varying intervals of space from each other, three shoals, about the size of ordinary crannogs, and nearly circular in form. They were occasionally so little perceptible as to prove an obstruction for boats, and in the early part of this century the proprietor, after surrounding each shoal with a low wall of masonry, caused a sufficient quantity of soil to be conveyed to them for the growth of a few trees. At that period nothing was known respecting former lacustrine populations in any part of Europe, so that no special examination was made of the nature of the shoals in question. In the present day, however, with the aid of the light thrown upon the construction of lake dwellings by modern discoveries, the position and aspect of the three islets becomes striking, and cannot fail to call to the mind of an observer the old tradition of a “buried city” in Lough Gill.

---

The number of lacustrine sites in each county in Ireland is marked within a small circle on the map (plate L.), and the lake dwelling area, as at present known, is shown by a shading, light or dark, according to the number of sites. The province of Ulster (including historical notices of crannogs) contains one hundred and twenty-four; Leinster, nineteen; Munster, nine; and Connaught, sixty-nine. This makes for all Ireland a total of two hundred and twenty-one. The ascertained sites are, however, in all probability, but a mere fraction of the multitude that had formerly existed. Further explorations amongst the remains of Irish and Scottish lake dwellings would, doubtless, tend to strengthen the evidence of these structures having been the work of a people who, at that remote period, formed most probably a homogeneous community.

In the opinion of some theorists, these dwellings seem characteristic of an early wave of immigration from the East—then throwing off its superabundant population as does now the West—and in this manner it is supposed that the lakes of Central Europe and Great Britain became studded with water-laved homes. However, as before stated, they, with a greater degree of probability, sprang up independently by reason of the natural laws which govern man’s actions in a semi-civilized state—in Erin, their first founders being rude flint-armed hunters of the Megaceros, the bear, the wolf, and their descendants wielders of the pike and matchlock. Recent investigation traces “island homes” back to a period so remote, that the evidences of man’s formation and occupation of these retreats prove in their way as interesting as the remains of the buried cities of Herculaneum and Pompeii, for lacustrine dwellings, also, show traces of a species of civilization long passed away (evidences of which were observable on the sites of Venice, Mexico, and London), and the purposes of their primitive founders were alike, whether situated on the lagoons of the Adriatic, the flats of Central America, or the reaches of the Thames.

Footnotes

1 Prehistoric Times, Sir John Lubbock, 2nd ed., p. 214.

2 Some Irish scholars give a different interpretation.

3 Hull, in his Physical Geology of Ireland, cites the “Four Masters” as alluding to man and the Megaceros being contemporaneous, p. 270.

4 Sir John Lubbock, writing of extinct mammalia, states that remains of the Megaceros Hibernicus never occur in the ‘Kjökken-moddings,’ lake habitations, or sepulchral remains; nor are there any traditions in Western Europe which can be regarded as indicating even obscurely a memory of this gigantic mammal.—Prehistoric Times, 2nd ed., 1869, p. 291.

5 Proceedings, R. I. A., vol. viii., p. 424.

6 Journal of the Royal Geological Society of Ireland, vol. v. p. 170. New Series.

7 “As far as we can judge from the present evidence, the first appearance of the reindeer in Europe coincided with that of the mammoth, and took place at a later period than that of the cave bear or Irish elk.”—Sir John Lubbock, Prehistoric Times, 2nd ed., 1869, p. 293.

8 Geology of Ireland: G. H. Kinahan, p. 262.

9 Hippocrates, vol. i., p. 209. De Aeribus, xxxvii.

10 ὲν μέση ἒστηκε τῇλίμνῃ. These dwellings in the middle of the lake were out of bow-shot, out of reach of fiery projectiles against thatched roofs and wooden walls—a description of attack to which some of the Helvetian settlements probably succumbed.

11 Herodotus, Book v., chap. xvi.

12 Prehistoric Times, Sir John Lubbock, 2nd ed., p. 169.

13 Lake Dwellings of Switzerland, Keller, 2nd ed., p. 73.

14 Proceedings R. I. A., vol. vii., p. 151.

15 Ancient Scottish Lake Dwellings.

16 (1) bronze dish with handle of Roman work; (2) two bronze dishes hammered out of the solid; (3) a small bronze dish of separate pieces rivetted together; (4) a bronze ring having attached to it a portion of the vessel of which it had been the handle; (5) fragment of leather with a stamped pattern on it; (6) a large blue glass bead; (7) two glass beads with streaks and spots; (8) a bead of amber; (9) a bead of vitreous paste; (10) a small brooch of bronze; (11) a small ring of bronze; (12) a copper coin; (13) five querns; (14) a fragment of bronze; (15) a piece of iron slag; (16) a small earthen crucible; (17) whetstone; (18) three iron hammers; (19) portions of armlets of enamelled glass; (20) five canoes.—Notices of Scottish Crannogs, John Stewart, p. 8.

17 “A description of certain piles, found near London-wall and Southwark, possibly the remains of Pile-Buildings.” A Paper read before the Anthropological Society, December 18, 1866.

18 Quarterly Journal of the Geological Society, vol. xii. p. 255.

19 Early Man in Britain, p. 352.

20 Nature, vol. xvii. p. 424.

21 Lake Dwellings of Switzerland, Keller, 2nd ed., p. 660.

22 De Bello Gallico, lib. v. xviii: “ripa autem erat acutis sudibus præfixis munita; eiusdemque generis sub aqua defixæ sudes flumine, tegebantur.” The oppidum of Cassivellaunus is described as being, “Sylvis paludibusque munitum,” and by Orosius, “inter duas paludes situm, obtentu insuper sylvarum munitum.” Cæsar also states, lib. v. xxi., “oppidum autem Britanni vocant, quum silvas impeditas vallo atque fossa munierunt, quo incursionis hostium vitandæ caussa convenire consuerunt.”

23 Supplementa tabulæ Syriæ, cap. ii., as quoted in Keller’s Lake Dwellings of Switzerland, 2nd ed., vol. i. p. 497.

24 Prescott’s Conquest of Mexico.

25 New Guinea, vol. i. pp. 47, 145, 216, 218, 401.

26 “Jadis toute la ville de Tondano était construite sur le lac, et l’on ne communiquait d’une maison à une autre qu’en bâteau. Forts de cette disposition, en 1810, les habitants eurent de démèlés avec les Hollandais, et voulurent secouer leur joug, ils s’ármèrent et furent battus. Ce ne fut pas sans peine qu’on en vint à bout; il fallait y porter de l’artillerie et constuire des bateaux canoniers. Depuis ce temps, et pour éviter cet inconvénient on a défendu aux indigènes de construire leurs habitations sur le lac.”—Histoire, Dumont D’Urville, vol iv. p. 607; vol. v. p. 635.

27 Transactions of the Ethnol. Soc. (new series), vol. ii. p. 28.

28 Illustrated Travels, vol. ii. pp. 19-21. An account of a Visit to the Guajiro Indians of Maracaibo, by A. Goering, Esq.

29 The Crew of the Falcon, vol. i. p. 132.

30 Memoirs of the Anthropological Society, vol. i. p. 311.

31 Across Africa.

32 The Lakes and Mountains of Eastern and Central Africa: Elton, pp. 156 and 243.

33 In Lewis’s Topographical Dictionary, published 1837, mention is made of a “wooden house” which formerly existed in Lough Annagh, vol. ii. p. 175.

34 Journal Royal Hist. and Arch. Asso. of Ireland, vol. v. (4th Series), pp. 325-26.

35 Journal Royal Hist. and Arch. Asso. of Ireland, vol. i. (3rd Series), pp. 220, 21, Rev. W. Kilbride.

36 Joyce, Irish Names of Places, 4th ed. p. 299.

37 Geology of Ireland, p. 278.

38 The peasantry of the neighbourhood say that “crannog” signifies the hopper of a mill, and that in all probability there was formerly a mill there. This is the popular explanation given of every crannog in the kingdom.—MS. Letters, Ordnance Survey.

39 Proceedings R. I. A., vol. vii. p. 157.

40 Old Statistical Account, vol. viii. p. 304.

41 John Stuart, Notices of Scottish Crannogs, p. 33.

42 Edinburgh Review, No. 275, p. 207.

43 In the year 1508, it is of record that a Scottish monastery granted a lease of a crannog, one of the covenants being that the occupant was to place a certain quantity of stones outside the piling in each year, to protect the structure from the destructive influence of the waters of the lake.

44 Wightown: Barhapple, Barlockhart, Barneallzie, Castleloch, Dowalton, (5,) Eldrig (3), Loch-Inch-Crindel, Machermore (2), Merton, Sunonness.

45 Kircudbright: Barean, Carlingwark (2), Loch-Kinder, Loch-Lotus, Loch-Rutton.

46 Dumfries: Black Loch, Corncockle, Friar’s-Carse, Lochmaben.

47 Ayr: Buston, Loch of Kilbirnie, Lochlee, Lochspouts.

48 Bute: Dhu Loch, Loch Quien. The remainder of the Scottish sites are situated as follows:—
Aberdeen: Banchory, Loch Canmore. Argyll: Kielziebar, Ledaig, Loch-na-Mial (Mull), Lochnell. Forfar: Loch of Forfar. Inverness: Loch-in-Croy, Loch Lochy. Lanark: Greenknowe. Linlithgow: Loch Cot. Moray, Nairn and Elgin: Loch Flemington, Lochindorb, Loch-in-Dunty, Loch of the Clans, Loch Spinie. Perth: Loch Rannoch. Ross: Loch Achilty, Loch of Kinellan. Stirling: Loch Lomond.

49 Namely at Loughrea, county Galway; at Ballinlough, near Marble Hill, same county; at Lough Nahinch, on the borders of Tipperary and King’s County, and Lough Naneevin, West Galway.

50 Proceedings R. I. A., vol. vii. p. 150. This crannog may be said to form portion of the Strokestown group; excavations were made, and several bronze pins found.

51 Journal Royal Hist. and Arch. Asso. of Ireland, vol. ii. pp. 11-13 (4th Series)—G. H. Kinahan.

52 Toome Bar, county Antrim; Rahans, county Monaghan; Drumkeery and Cornagall, county Cavan; Lagore, near Dunshaughlin, county Meath; Nahinch, county Tipperary; Cloonfinlough, county Roscommon; are examples of crannogs which show visible traces of having been consumed by fire, and some of them of having been rebuilt.

53 Journal Royal Hist. and Arch. Asso. of Ireland, vol. v. (4th Series), pp. 327-336.—W. F. Wakeman.

54 “The framework was composed of oak logs, as shown in the sketch (fig. 1. side elevation); the main sleepers, one on each side, were principal pieces, and rested on the sand. These logs were made from a large oak-tree, split in two, with the round part upwards; they measured, when put together, twenty-three inches in diameter and twenty-four feet in length; into these the upright pieces, or posts B of the frame, were mortised, p; and the end of the post protruding through the mortise in the sleeper A, was forelocked by a large block of wood below, as shown, fig. 1. The mortises were roughly cut, as if they had been made by a kind of blunt instrument.… The planks which formed the sides D were laid edgewise, one upon another, the lower one resting in a groove cut in the sleeper A, as shown in fig. 2, and the but-ends on a log of wood mortised into the framework, as in fig. 1. The planks butting home against the supports, … were more firmly fixed by the two uprights, which passed through a hole in the cross-beam c, fig. 1, and slipped into the mortise in the sleeper.”

55 A somewhat similar “find” was dug up in one of the crannogs in Loch Dowalton, Wigtownshire.—Ancient Lake Dwellings of Scotland, p. 49.

56 “These jambs, of which there were six at each extremity, stood on well-wrought foundation stones, but of course in a calcined state.”—Schlieman, Troja, p. 80.

57 Archæologia, vol. xxvi. p. 361. Dublin Journal, p. 381-83, 1836.

58 Journal Royal Hist. and Arch. Asso. of Ireland, vol. i. p. 269.

59 Manners and Customs of the Ancient Irish, pp. 31-2.

60 Mr. Mackinlay, describing a crannog in Loch Quien in Bute, states that two rows of piles extended obliquely from it to the shore of the lake, between which the ground was covered with flat stones, “not raised like a causeway.”

61 Dublin Quarterly Journal of Science, vol. vi. p. 69.

62 Mem. Geol. Sur. Ireland.

63 Journal Royal Hist. and Arch. Asso. of Ireland, vol. ii. (4th Series), p. 435.

64 Geology of Ireland, G. H. Kinahan, p. 276.

65 Proceedings R. I. A. vol. vii. p. 154.

66 Cat. Mus. R. I. A. p. 251.

67 A writer states that around the Crannog of Lough Ravel were found “a whole fleet of boats,” each cut out of a single trunk of oak; one was made fast to a stake of the crannog by a rude chain.

68 Journal of a Cruise on the Tanganyika Lake, Central Africa.

69 Arch. Journal, vol. iii. p. 46.

70 Ulster Journal of Archæology, vol. vii. p. 194.

71 Proceedings R. I. A., vol. ii. p. 247; vol. viii. p. 293.

72 It may be observed that a canoe found at Cudrelin, on the Lake of Neufchatel, had a similar kind of handle.—Lake Dwellings of Switzerland, Keller, 2nd ed., p. 282.

73 Journal Royal Hist. and Arch. Asso. of Ireland, vol. ii. (4th Series), pp. 16-18.—W. F. Wakeman.

74 The following list of single-tree canoes, though necessarily incomplete, yet enables an approximate estimate to be made of the number already discovered:—Ardagh, 1; Ardakillen, 1; Ballinderry, 2; Boyne, 1; Cahore, 1; Cloonfinlough, 1; Cornagall, 1; Derryhollagh (several), 1; Drumaleague, 1; Drumdarragh, 1; Drumgay, 1; Drumkeery, 1; Erne, 2; Lough Eyes, 3; Kilnock, 1; Lough Annagh, 5; Lough Faughan, 1; Lough Owel, 1; Loughrea, 4; Lough Rinn, 2; Loughtamand, 1; Miracles (several), 1; Moinalty, 1; Moinenoe, 1; Mourne, 2; Randalstown (several), 1; Sligo (Ballydoogan), 1; Toome, 3.

75 The above illustration represents No. 3 in the Museum, R. I. A. No. 4 in the same collection is two feet two inches long, by five inches across the blade.

76 De. Bel. Civil. 1-54.

77 The coracles used still in Caermarthenshire are of oval form, five feet and a-half long, by four feet and a-half broad; the hides forming the skin of the skiff are pitched.

78 Journal Royal Hist. and Arch. Asso. of Ireland, vol. ii. (4th Series), pp. 74-5.

79 Ulster Journal of Archæology, vol. i. p. 32.

80 Cat. Mus. R. I. A. pp. 276-7.

81 Æs erat in pretio, chalybeia massa latebat.

82 Utuntur aut aere, aut taleis ferreis, ad certum pondus examinatis, pro nummo. Nascitur ibi plumbum album in mediterraneis regionibus, in maritimis ferrum; sed eius exigua est copia; aere utuntur importato.—Cæsar, De Bel. Gal. Lib 5. cap. xii.

83 Journal Royal Hist. and Arch. Asso. of Ireland, vol. i. (4th Series), pp. 461-465.—W. F. Wakeman.

84 Journal Royal Hist. and Arch. Asso. of Ireland, vol. v. (4th Series), p. 119, vol. vi. p. 392.

85 Plate VI.—Nos. 1 and 9 are from Ballinderry; 2, 3, and 4 from Drumdarragh; 6 from Drumsloe; 7 from Kilnamaddo; 8 and 10 from Lagore; 11 and 12 from Ardakillen.

86 Journal Royal Hist. and Arch. Asso. of Ireland, vol. i. (4th Series), p. 558.

87 Journal Royal Hist. and Arch. Asso. of Ireland, vol. ii. (4th Series), p. 197.

88 Journal Royal Hist. and Arch. Asso. of Ireland, vol. vi. (4th Series), p. 374.—W. F. Wakeman.

89 Quite recently a bronze axe-head, now in the writer’s possession, was supposed by its peasant discoverer to be “rale goold”—and it was not till after repeated failures to effect sale of his “find” as gold that he could be convinced of the real nature of the metal.

90 See Ardakillen Crannog.

91 Plate IX., Nos. 1, 2, 4, 6, 7, 9, 11, 12, 14 are from Lagore; Nos. 3, 8, 10 from Ballinderry; No. 15 from Lough Gur.

92 Journal Royal Hist. and Arch. Asso. of Ireland, vol. vi. (4th Series), pp 381-3.—W.F. Wakeman.

93 Cat. Mus. R.I.A., pp. 261, 463, 466.

94 pp. 222-3, figs. 224-30.

95 Journal Royal Hist. and Arch. Asso. of Ireland, vol. vi. (4th Series), pp. 373-379.—W. F. Wakeman.

96 Journal Royal Hist. and Arch. Asso. of Ireland, vol. i. (4th Series), pp. 463-5.—W. F. Wakeman.

97 “There is a tradition that this lough contains a brazen cauldron full of treasure and guarded by a piast in the form of a serpent. Old people say that some years since a farmer actually saw the vessel, and with the aid of plough harness endeavoured to get it out of the water. The demon guardian, however, was too strong, the tackle broke, and with a horrible hiss the serpent regained his lair, taking the cauldron along with him.”—Journal Royal Hist. and Arch. Asso. of Ireland, vol. ii. (4th Series), p. 319.

98 Proceedings R. I. A., vol. i., s. s. 1870-8, p. 155; Journal Royal Hist. and Arch. Asso. of Ireland, vol. ii. (4th Series), pp. 118, 122.

99 Journal, Royal Hist. and Arch. Asso. of Ireland, vol. vi. (4th Series), p. 384.—W. F. Wakeman.

100 Cat. Mus. R. I. A., p. 91, No. 83.

101 Ibid., p. 93.

102 In Swiss lacustrine sites, stones of the cherry and of the sloe are found together in heaps, mixed with plentiful remains of the seeds of the blackberry and raspberry.

103 Journal Royal Hist. and Arch. Asso. of Ireland, vol. v. (New Series), p. 119.

104 Proceedings, R.I.A., vol. vii., pp. 192, 211.—W. Wilde.

105 Journal Royal. Hist. and Arch. Asso. of Ireland, vol. v. (4th Series), pp. 507-8.

106 A fine example of a utensil of this kind was discovered at Navan Rath (the ancient Eamhain), the seat of the sovereigns of Ulster down to the year A.D. 332; and a curious account of the value in which bronze cauldrons of this description were held in Ireland in the middle of the fifth century is given by Dr. Reeves in his translation of a portion of the “Book of Armagh,” written in the eighth century.

107 See Ancient Scottish Lake Dwellings, p. 213, fig. 195.

108 Cat. Mus. R. I. A., p. 533.

109 Archæological Journal, vol. vi., p. 103.

110 Journal Royal Hist. and Arch. Asso. of Ireland, vol. ii. (4th Series), p. 322.

111 It is No. 19 in the collection of querns in the Museum R.I.A. Roughan Crannog is said to be the last retreat of Sir Phelin O’Neill in 1641: it held out until boats were brought to the lake from Charlemont to aid in the attack.

112 Ancient Scottish Lake Dwellings, p. 55.

113 Plate LVII., fig. 13, vol. ii., 2nd ed.

114 Journal Royal Hist. and Arch. Asso. of Ireland, vol. iii. (4th Series), p. 318.

115 Ibid., vol. ii. (4th Series), pp. 308-9.

116 Cat. Mus. R.I.A., p. 158.

117 Journal Royal Hist. and Arch. Asso. of Ireland, vol. i. (4th Series), p. 556.

118 Vol. i. (4th Series), plate II., p. 583.

119 Cat. Mus. R.I.A., p. 265.

120 Journal Royal Hist. and Arch. Asso. of Ireland, vol. vi. (4th Series), p. 391.—W. F. Wakeman.

121 Proceedings, R.I.A., vol. viii., p. 329.

122 Several soft lumps of what appeared to be a blue and a red pigment were discovered in the crannog of Lochlee, in Ayrshire, though the latter specimen shortly after turned blue; whilst at Lochspouts were found two pieces of colouring matter, the one red and the other black; and at Holderness, in Yorkshire, “red ochre” was picked up on the site of a lake dwelling.—Ancient Scottish Lake Dwellings, pp. 139, 160, 300.

123 Cat. Mus., R.I.A., p. 303.

124 Cat. Mus., R.I.A., p. 333.

125 Journal Royal Hist. and Arch. Asso. of Ireland, vol. vi. (4th Series), pp. 198-202.—Rev. James Graves.

126 Ibid., pp. 198-202.—Rev. James Graves.

127 W. F. Wakeman states that fig. 127 came from Ballinderry Crannog; and, fig. 128 from Lagore; in the Cat. Mus., R.I.A., they appear as Nos. 302 and 326.

128 Now in the British Museum.

129 Cat. Mus. R.I.A., p. 560.

130 Ibid., p. 559.

131 Ibid., p. 556.

132 Nos. 1, 2, 3, and 4 are from Lagore; the remainder were discovered in crannogs, but the exact sites not now known. Wilde alludes to Nos. 10 and 11 “as conical bits of carved wood, like chessmen. The former, however, is hollowed at the base, as if for the insertion of a stamp, and the latter is carved upon the face of the base, with a device not unlike a seal: each is 2½ inches high.”

133 The Origin of Civilization, p. 38.

134 Cat. Mus., R.I.A., pp. 271-2.

135 Cat. Mus., R.I.A., p. 549.

136 Journal Royal Hist. and Arch. Asso. of Ireland, vol. vi. (4th Series), pp. 197-8.—Rev. James Graves.

137 Journal Royal Hist. and Arch. Asso. of Ireland, vol. vi. (4th Series), pp. 389-391.—W. F. Wakeman.

138 Cat. Mus., R.I.A., p. 568.

139 Petrie Collection, Mus., R.I.A., No. 157.

140 Petrie Collection, Mus., R.I.A., No. 156.

141 Journal Royal Hist. and Arch. Asso. of Ireland, vol. vi. (4th Series), p. 386.—W. F. Wakeman.

142 Proceedings, R.I.A., vol. vii., pp. 155-6.—Reeves.

143 Journal Royal Hist. and Arch. Asso. of Ireland, vol. ii. (4th Series), p. 74.—W. H. Patterson.

144 Nos. 1, 3, 20, 21, are from Ardakillen. Nos. 2, 11, 12, 13, 15, 18, from Lagore. Nos. 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 14, 16, from Ballinderry. No. 17, from Drumdarragh. No. 22, from Cloonfinlough. Nos. 23, 24, from Lough Eyes.

145 Journal Royal. Hist. and Arch. Asso. of Ireland, vol. vi (New Series), p. 391.—W. F. Wakeman.

146 Journal Royal Hist. and Arch. Asso. of Ireland, vol. v. (4th Series), p. 534.—W. J. Knowles.

147 Cat. Mus., R.I.A., pp. 531-2.

148 Sir Denham Jephson Norreys, in a Paper contributed to the R. Hist, and Arch. Asso. Ireland (Journal, vol. iv., pp. 278-79), thus explains the original process of riveting:—
“1st. Prepare a wooden core, or mandril, of the size and form of the inside of the trumpet.
“2ndly. Place the strap of bronze to hold the rivets in the centre of its inner surface.
“3rdly. Cut the plate of bronze which is to form the trumpet to such a size that, when folded on the core, the edges may meet accurately on the centre of the bronze strap: hold all together by solder, or by any other means—perhaps coils of wire may have been used.
“4thly. Drill the holes for the rivets, countersinking them on the outside. See Plate XXIX., fig. 1.
“5thly. Remove the wooden core.
“6thly. By means of a cleft stick (or other contrivance) insert the rivets from the inside, outwards.
“7thly. As each rivet passes through to the surface it is to be drawn up as tightly as possible; the shank is to be bent back, or held up by any other means, so that the head of the rivet shall not be allowed to fall.
“8thly. Having inserted all the rivets, insert a metal core, or mandril, fitting the interior with great exactness.
“9thly. Complete the riveting from the outside, the metal core preventing the rivet-heads from being disturbed, and allowing the countersunk portion of the hole to be securely filled by a portion of the shank.
“10thly. Remove the metal core. The trumpet is now ready to be burnished off.
“After writing the above, it occurred to me that I had neglected to inquire how the inner strap was to be held in its place for the insertion of the rivets. Ordinary solder could not have been used, as none appears between the strap and the plates. It might, perhaps, have been effected by a slow removal of the wooden core, and by the insertion, from the smaller end of temporary rivets or fastenings, as the core was being pushed forward; by such means at least half of the length of the strap could be firmly held in its place.”

149 The MSS. from which it was extracted by O’Curry is the “Leabhar-na-h-Uidhre,” written about A.D. 1106, but the tale, as therein recounted, was extracted from the “Book of Dromsneachta,” a work undoubtedly written before, or about the year 430.

150 W. F. Wakeman states that at one time this slab was in the possession of Petrie, the well-known antiquary. An engraving of a chess-board of the fourteenth century shows but 42 squares, 7 × 6.

151 British Museum.

152 Ulster Journal of Archæology, vol. iii., p. 11.

153 Book of Leinster, p. 206, as quoted by O’Curry, Lectures, p. 469.

154 Ulster Journal of Archæology, vol. vii., p. 73.

155 W. F. Wakeman offers a suggestion in connection with the name Balhu; he states that Joyce in his Irish Names of Places translates the name of the Fermanagh town of Lisbellaw, Lis-bel-atha, the lis of the ford mouth. Now, there was no river ever there, consequently there could be no “ford mouth.” There is certainly a lis or ford in the neighbourhood, but the little stream which now drives the woollen mill of Lisbellaw flows through a deep cutting communicating with Loch Eyes, and which was made only in recent times. The natural outlet from the loch ran, and still runs, in a northerly direction, and cannot have influenced the naming of Lisbellaw, as its course commences at a distance of some miles from the village. “The name Lisbellaw seems to invite investigation. Could it be translated ‘the fort or lis of Balhu,’ even as Dunleary is ‘the fort or dun of Laighaire’”?

156 Journal Royal Hist. and Arch. Asso. of Ireland, vol. v. (New Series), p. 229.

157 Cat. Mus. R.I.A., p. 267.

158 Ibid., p. 343.

159 Plates XXXIII. and XXXIV. are reproduced from a paper by the late Edward Benn, which appeared in the Journal of the Royal Hist. and Arch. Asso. of Ireland. Some of the articles represented may now be seen in the “Benn Collection,” Belfast Museum.

160 When not otherwise notified, the extracts are from the Annals of the Four Masters, or from O’Donovan’s annotations to same.

161 Journal Royal Hist. and Arch. Asso. of Ireland, vol. vi. (New Series), p. 139.

162 Proceedings R. I. A., vol. vii., pp. 157-8.

163 “Mac Cnaimhain,” now anglicised Mac Nevin, and among the peasantry shortened to Neavin and Nevin. This family was originally settled at Crannog-Meg-Cnaimhain, now Crannagh-Mac-Nevin, in the south-east extremity of the parish of Tynagh, barony of Leitrim, county Galway, and the name is still general in that and the adjoining barony of Loughrea. The first notice of this family to be found in Irish history occurs in the Annals of the Four Masters, at the year 1159, where it is recorded that “Athius Mac Nevin was slain at Ardee.” The crannog is mentioned in an inquisition taken at Galway on the 10th of October, 1605:—“Quod Hugo Mac Knavin, alius dictus Mac Kellie intravit in actionem Rebellionis et captus et suspensus fuit 4 Junii, 1602; et fuit seisitus in Ballilie Cranach Mac Knavin,” &c. “In a grant to the Earl of Clanrickarde, dated 19th July, 1610, mention is made—among various other lands granted to him—of part of the lands of Crannach-Mac Knavin, parcel of the estate of Hugh Mac Knavin, otherwise O’Kelly of Cranagh-Mac Knavin, executed in rebellion”(a).
(a) The Tribes and Customs of Hy-Many. Note by O’Donovan, pp. 68-9.

164 Proceedings R. I. A., vol. ix., p. 176.

165 Ibid., vol. i. (2nd Series), p. 223.

166 Researches in the South of Ireland. Crofton-Croker.

167 Stories of Lough Gur.

168 Maps of the escheated counties in Ireland, 1609. Ordnance Survey Office, 1861.

169 Shirley’s Dominion of Farney, pp. 93-4.

170 Crannoig Muighi gaiblín, Magh-gaibhlin. Annals of Lough Cé. Note by the editor, W. M. Hennessy.

171 Annals of Loch Cé.

172 Proceedings R. I. A., vol. vii.

173 Ulster Journal of Archæology, vol. vii., pp. 192-3.

174 The townland of Cargin is situated in the parish of Ogulla. The lake is mentioned in the Annals of Loch Cé, A.D. 1092.

175 Annals of Loch Cé.

176 Annals of Loch Cé. Note by W. M. Hennessy. This is doubtless the place (then in possession of Cathal O’Raighilligh) against which O’Donnell led a great hosting in 1281; “and they brought vessels with them upon Loch Uachtair and plundered Eo-innis.” Again, in 1369, a naval expedition was made by Philip Mac Udhir to Loch Uachtair, and Cloch Ui Raighilligh was taken by him, and Philip O’Raighilligh, “King” of Brefne, who was imprisoned therein, was taken out of it.

177 Ibid., vol. i., p. 143.

178 Could it be Inis-Sgeillend?

179 da ronad dna … ocus inis locha Cend, ocus inis locha Gair … ocus inis locha Saiglend, ocus inis in gaill duib.

180 Irish Names of Places, p. 475. P. W. Joyce.

181 Chronicon Scotorum.

182 Aois Criost, sé chéd triocha asch … Maolduin, mac Aodha do lorcadh i ninis caoin. In the Annals of Ulster this chieftain’s death is under date 640. “Combustes Maelduin in insula Caini.”

183 Irish Names of Places (1st Series), p. 258. P. W. Joyce.

184 Miscellany of the Irish Arch. Society. Translation and notes by O’Donovan.

185 Museum, R.I.A., No. 259.

186 Also the following articles: a circular stone not unlike the upper stone of a pot-quern; it was perforated in the centre, and decorated at the top. A small whorl of red grit, and a water-worn pebble that may have been used as a net weight or sinkstone (a). A whetstone, four inches long (a). A curved stone, five inches long, bearing on it some rudely carved devices (a). A celt-shaped, smooth, flat stone, about six inches in length, evidently a natural formation (a), and much resembling the modern polished stone used by linen weavers as a “rubbing-stone.” Two fragments of pottery, exceedingly rude, one of them unglazed (a): the first is portion of a small pipkin, between three and four inches wide, and two and three-quarter inches high, with an indented band round the top; it bears marks of the long-continued action of fire, and is in composition very like a cinerary urn.
The articles marked (a), appear in Museum, R. I. A., as Nos. 36, 67, 128, 84, 30, 31, 10 and 11.

187 Et est in eodem le tuogh quidam lacus alias stagnum vocatus Loughinchefeaghny in quo est insula similiter fortificata.

188 Proceedings R.I.A., vol. vii., pp. 156-7.

189 Proceedings R. I. A., vol. vii., p. 155.

190 Proceedings R.I.A., vol. vii., p. 154.

191 There were also shears of various sizes; two well-formed needles of bronze; a shoemaker’s awl with blade of bronze and handle of stone; several axes or hatchets; a light spade of wood tipped with iron; an iron sword; a horse-shoe of ordinary size, thicker at the outer edge and without raised heels, but drawn out at the extremities to a great length; many whetstones; knives, very narrow and sharp at the point, but thick on the back; a bronze dish much scored, its diameter fifteen inches, including the rim; a wooden scoop; a large bead and small crescent-shaped piece of glass, which bore marks of having been set as a jewel; several pins of bronze, iron, bone, and wood, varying greatly in shape; the fragments of pottery were evidently the remains of strong, well-shaped vessels; the bones and horns of mammalia were principally those of oxen (of short-horn species), sheep, goat, deer, and dog; there were tusks of the boar, and in one instance the skull of a Cervus Elephas showed that the horns had been sawn off. In the museum of the College of Surgeons, London, is preserved the skull of an Irish deer from which the horns had been similarly cut, and it is said to have been found in that state in the west of Ireland.—Journal Royal Hist. and Arch. Asso. of Ireland, vol. iii., pp. 86, 90; vol. iv., pp. 36, 38.—E. Benn.

192 Journal Royal Hist. and Arch. Asso. of Ireland, vol. i., pp. 20-2.—E. Benn.

193 Celtic Scotland, vol. i., p. 83.
The remaining bronze weapons from Toome Bar, now in the Museum, R. I. A., are therein numbered as follows:—No. 1, a long and perfect leaf-shaped sword-blade, narrow above the handle, and with a central mid-rib; no side bevel, broad edges to handle-plate, which had been probably covered with gold; there is a longitudinal perforation instead of rivet-holes; length 26½ inches, by 1⅝ broad in the widest part of the blade. No. 2 is also in a perfect state. No. 3 has a plain, smooth blade, with a slight rib within margin, hilt cleft, nine holes in handle-plate; 24⅝ inches long, by 1⅝ broad. No. 4 is composed of bright Dowris-coloured metal, smooth and narrow above handle-plate, which has four perforations; the length is 23¾ inches, by 1¾ broad. No. 10 has an imperfect handle, notched for hilt, bevel edge, six rivet-holes; length 20 inches, by 1¾. No. 122 is a small sword, rapier blade, narrow handle-plate; 16 inches by 1⅞. No. 147 is a rapier-shaped dagger-blade; wants point, has two rivet-holes, one rivet still in position; 8⅝ inches in length.

194 Journal Royal Hist. and Arch. Asso. of Ireland, vol. vi. (4th Series), pp. 177, 194-5.—W. T. Lockwood.

195 Journal Royal. Hist. and Arch. Asso. of Ireland, vol. vi. (4th Series), pp. 406-8.—Rev. James Graves.
“Solinus relates that the Irish formed the handles of their swords from the teeth of large sea-monsters which they polished to a most beautiful whiteness.” “That the handles were very much smaller than those of modern swords with guards, and used for cutting as well as thrusting, there can be no doubt, yet some of them are large enough to receive a moderate-sized hand. Without discussing the generally received opinion that the men who used such swords had very small hands—like some of the Asiatics of the present day—the mode of using these weapons must not be forgotten. They were employed for stabbing and fencing, in which the middle, ring, and little fingers alone grasped the handle completely, while the thumb and fore-finger passed upwards on each side of the blade, fitting into the curved hollows of the hilt—and not like the method of the cavalry soldier of the present day, who, when about to deal a heavy blow, grasps his weapon with the closed hand, which must occupy a space of about four and a-half inches.”—Cat. Mus., R.I.A., p. 456.

196 In the kitchen-midden was the ordinary complement of bones, principally those of the ox, boar, sheep, goat, dog, and deer. Seven short scythes of bronze, a plough-sock of iron, a plough-share of flint, several iron spear-heads, and some pins, were also brought to light.

197 Journal Royal Hist. and Arch. Asso. of Ireland, vol. iii. (New Series), pp. 86-7.

198 Ibid., vol. vi. (4th Series), p. 432.—H. W. Lett.

199 Proceedings R.I.A., vol. v., p. 215.

200 Lake Dwellings of Switzerland.—Keller. 2nd ed.

201 Proceedings R.I.A., vol. v., p. 417.

202 Ireland: its Scenery, &c., &c., by Mr. and Mrs. J. C. Hall, vol. iii., p. 259.

203 A considerable portion of the timbers of this dwelling was presented by the Earl of Enniskillen to the Museum of the Royal Hist. and Arch. Association of Ireland.

204 The following is a list of antiquities of minor interest:—A crucible of the usual crannog kind, in a perfect state. A brooch, or fibula, composed of iron, bronze, and a white metal—perhaps silver; it had evidently been prepared for enamel—the pin was eaten away by corrosion. An iron knife, with bronze mounting to the handle, which was pierced for rivets. An ordinary crannog knife-blade, like those found in Anglo-Saxon interments. Portion of a small iron shoe for horse or ass. Piece of an iron band. A thin bronze fillet that might have been used for securing the staves of a small wooden vessel, or intended for a hair-band: a lady who tried it on, pronounced it to be decidedly an article of feminine adornment—let that decide the point! A small article of late bronze, apparently belonging to horse trappings. A whetstone. A worked stone or disc. A lump of iron dross or “slag.” The under stone of a quern. From time to time no fewer than three single-piece canoes have been discovered beneath the waters of the lough; one was for years used as a trough for cattle, and afterwards cut up for firewood; the others were utilized in the roofs of out-offices.—Journal Royal Hist. and Arch. Asso. of Ireland, vol. i. (4th Series), pp. 360, 371.

205 Journal Royal Hist. and Arch. Asso. of Ireland, vol. iii. (4th Series), pp. 314-15.

206 The following is a list of the articles found on “Bone Island”:—Nine pieces of deer’s horn, four of them curiously fashioned (ante, p. 80). Several fragments of quern-stones; it was stated by the older inhabitants of the surrounding district that many years previously the entire surface of the island was covered with querns in a more or less perfect condition; two of those obtained (ante, p. 89) were inscribed with a cross-like ornamentation. Four whetstones of the usual four-sided crannog type; they vary in size from six inches to four inches in length. Portions of rims of vessels of fictile ware (ante, p. 98); a large fragment had been discovered on the island some time previously. There were also articles both of bronze and iron, but so greatly fractured and corroded that their character could not well be defined. When excavating near the centre of the island, at a distance of about two and a-half feet from the surface, a large stone was found with a punched cross-like pattern upon one of its sides (plate XLII., No. 6). Bones of animals, principally of the cow, goat, sheep, and pig, were found in such immense numbers, that the crannog became known as “Bone Island.”

207 Journal Royal Hist. and Arch. Asso. of Ireland, vol. i. (4th Series), pp. 232-235, 305-314.

208 Ibid., vol. v. (4th Series), p. 336.

209 Ibid., vol. i. (4th Series), p. 583.

210 Holly Island, in Lough Erne, had evidently been fortified; it is situated within a mile of Enniskillen, and in summer-time distinct traces become visible of the stockade by which it had been defended on the side facing the mainland; the island itself is, however, of entirely natural formation.

211 Journal Royal Hist. and Arch. Asso. of Ireland, vol. ii. (4th Series), pp. 323-4.

212 Journal Royal Hist. and Arch. Asso. of Ireland, vol. i. (4th Series), pp. 553-564.—W. F. Wakeman.

213 Journal Royal Hist. and Arch. Asso. of Ireland, vol. v. (4th Series), p. 332.—W. F. Wakeman.

214 Journal Royal Hist. and Arch. Asso. of Ireland, vol. vi., pp. 8-10.

215 Archæological Journal, vol. iii., p. 48.

216 There were also found here a pair of quern-stones; burnt corn; numerous fragments of coarse earthenware vessels; fragments of thick dark glass; an earthen pot; a “grey-beard,” with the representation of a man’s head beneath the spout; worked oval stones; “spindle-whorls”; hones of different shapes and sizes; a brass token, almost defaced.

217 Journal Royal Hist. and Arch. Asso. of Ireland, vol. iv., p. 379.

218 Proceedings R. I. A., vol. v., Appendix.
The following antiquities were found on crannog sites in the county Monaghan, but the exact localities not mentioned:—Three bronze celts, with loops on their side—in one instance traces of the handle still remained; a bronze dagger, twelve inches in length; two double-pointed bronze arrow-heads; a bronze gouge or chisel; the head of a bronze hunting-spear; part of a bronze sword; a bronze cap, seemingly the termination of the butt of some weapon; the bronze handle of a javelin or spear, with loop attached; the boss of a shield of bronze; a bronze knife, with traces of gilding; two bronze daggers, the one ten and a-half inches, the other seven inches in length; several bronze rings of different sizes, two of them with transverse spring openings, others hollow, being probably parts of armour or horse-trappings; two bronze needles; a bronze pin, the head hollowed like a cup; several bronze pins, of which some were ornamented, and two were of large size and common type; parts of bronze fibulae; fragments of several bronze instruments and numerous rivets; a small circular bell and three bronze hair-pins of various sizes.—Archæological Journal, vol. iii., pp. 47-8.

219 Proceedings R. I. A., vol. viii., pp. 275-6, 290-2, 301.
The following articles, discovered in the large crannog, were presented to the Museum, R. I. A.:—The upper stone of a grain-rubber; a perfect quern, seventeen inches in diameter, its upper surface highly decorated; a flat circular stone disc or quoit, like some found in connexion with cinerary urns; three do., one-half inch thick, and three and a-quarter inches in diameter; a portion of the stone coulter of a plough, thirteen inches long, with an artificial hole near the broad end for attaching it to the beam; a mortar, eight inches high, by seventeen and a-half inches wide, decorated at the corners with grotesque figures; a stone mould, with the casting groove in the long axis; two weapon-sharpeners of a remarkably hard stone resembling quartz; eleven fragments of sharpening-stones, averaging from two and a-half inches to six inches in length, two of them perforated; a four-sided whetstone, twenty inches by three inches; a large oval stone, artificially smoothed on all its surfaces—like a web-polisher—it measures ten and a-half inches, by three and a-half inches; several smaller-sized do.; a curved, water-worn, dark-coloured stone, highly polished, probably a burnisher; a flat red touchstone, three and a-half inches long, formed of jasper, and used for testing gold; a portion of slate with three circular cavities; a stone half perforated; a small perforated stone like a “whorl”; five globular stones like sink-stones for nets; a stone bullet, three inches in diameter; three oval-shaped, artificially worked stones; a bone spoon (p. 140, fig. 194); four portions of combs; two large beads; a ferrule, solid at one end, and two and a-half inches long; a small, highly-polished pin, and a very perfect piercer of bone; two horns of red deer, both imperfect; ten large boar-tusks, and some teeth of ruminants; a ring of bronze, that had been probably part of a fibula—it was in an imperfect state; a ring, three and a-quarter inches in diameter; a large decorated bronze pin, seven and a-half inches long, and a smaller one that measured three inches; the head of a battle-axe of iron; a knife-blade, with perforated haft, eight and a-half inches, and a smaller blade, two and three-quarter inches in length; a globular piece of iron, two and three-quarter inches in diameter; the head of a small hammer; three fragments of rings, and eleven other fragments of iron, the former uses of which could not be determined; several pieces of slag; fourteen pieces of broken pottery—amongst them was part of a bowl or urn, unglazed, decorated on the outside with deeply-grooved lines, and with slight indentations on the inverted lip—it was formed of very dark-coloured clay, mixed with particles of white quartz or felspar; four small earthen crucibles of the usual shape, three of them very small; a pipe-clay vessel, manifestly intended for refining purposes; the bowls of two small pipes, commonly, but erroneously, denominated “Danish tobacco-pipes”; a flat, highly-coloured bead of amber, and a larger one of irregular shape; a small bead of enamel paste, showing a mixture of the colours red, yellow, and blue; also fragments of Kimmage coal-rings; parts of a bracelet, which seems to have been pointed at one end. Great numbers of hazel nuts were found throughout the crannog, and there was a barrel-shaped piece of wood, three and a-quarter inches long, hollow, and perforated with six holes; it had been used either in weaving, or as a net float.

220 In addition to the usual collection of bones, the articles obtained from the crannog were as follows:—A large stone, hollowed in its upper surface, used evidently for crushing corn, the rock forming this crusher, being coarse basalt, is foreign to the district; it appears to be portion of a block of columnar basalt, brought to the spot probably from the N. E. of Ireland. There was another large stone of a carboniferous grit foreign to the locality, evidently the upper stone of a grain-rubber; it was slightly convex on one side, and had an artificially-polished surface. Two round stones—the one of quartz, the other of carboniferous grit. Three pieces of spoon-shaped flint. A stone ring, made from the ordinary greywacke shale of the district; it was too small for the finger. Part of another ring, somewhat larger in size. A bead of glass, and one of amber. Portion of a jet bracelet. Some articles of brass, comparatively modern. Fragments of pottery (undescribed). A crucible. An article formed of baked clay, two inches in length by one in breadth, having one of its surfaces convex, and the other concave; it bore the mark of a cross near one of its extremities. Several pieces of iron ore; and a bronze axe that was discovered in 1843 on the shores of the lake in the immediate vicinity of the crannog.

221 Fireplaces on shore of lake—see ante, pp. 90 and 191.

222 Archæologia, vol. xxxix., pp. 433-440.

223 Proceedings R. I. A., vol. v., Appendix.

224 Journal Royal. Hist. and Arch. Asso. of Ireland, vol. i. (New Series), p. 230.

225 Collectianea Antigua, vol. iii., pp. 35-44.

226 Cat. Mus., R. I. A., p. 223.
The following are a few of the articles found on this site, and nearly all are now in Museum, R. I. A.:—Two double-edged swords of iron. A curved blade. A peculiar single-edged weapon. An iron ring and chain, supposed to have formed portion of a manacle (plate VIII., p. 61). Two spear-heads in fine preservation (p. 63). An axe-head (p. 68). A bowl and a ladle (p. 85). A small single-edged knife. An iron pipe, with hook attached. A bronze object of unknown use (p. 143). Three armillæ of rude fashion; one of them formed of a thin plate measuring rather more than half an inch in diameter; the extremities slightly recurved. An ornament of mixed metal, and an enamelled plate of iron (p. 138). Portions of a small ring fibula, with cavities in the metal in which enamel appears to have been encrusted. Numerous bronze pins of various sizes and fashion. A skean or dagger (p. 65). A thin triangular blade, corroded at edges; the lower portion prolonged into a tang; the bevel on the edge, continued round the flat handle-plate, shows that the article was cast and not subsequently hammered out. A very rude piece of bronze somewhat resembling a broad arrow. A sling stone of quartz rock. An oblong or natural kidney-shaped stone, five inches long, and rounded at the extremities. Several whetstones. Two bone needles or bodkins, perforated at the extremity. A double-toothed comb, rudely ornamented with lines and concentric circles; and other combs, or fragments of same, one of them being a small perfect specimen, four inches long. A horn tine, polished at top. A very small four-sided drinking vessel of horn, two and a-half inches high. A polished leg-bone of a deer, curiously carved. A wooden spike, broad in the middle, and sharpened at each end; it is supposed to belong to the weapon class. There were also amber, jet, glass, and enamelled beads, now in the Museum, R. I. A.

227 Proceedings R.I.A., vol. v., p. 55.

228 And also the following antiquities:—A small stone, on which was carved a headless naked human figure. A sandstone ring. Several whetstones. A dark-coloured piece of shale and sandstone, three inches across, marked on the surface like the “game stones” in the Museum, R. I. A. A mould, formed of agalmatolite or potstone; on one side it had a circular cast for a harness stud. A decorated bone comb, and portions of eight others. Many curious bone pins (described ante “Articles of the Toilet,” &c.). A spatula-shaped bone (ante, p. 140). Flat pieces of ornamental bone (p. 139). A bone knife or skean, highly decorated on the handle and along a portion of the blade. A knife and fork of bone, colour dark brown; the handles are square, and decorated with the domino pattern. Several miscellaneous bone articles, consisting of pins, handles, knives, &c. Bronze tweezers, and several ornamented bronze pins. An admirably-designed brooch, or brooch-pin, of findruin or white bronze; its ring, two inches in diameter, was a mass of spiral ornamentation, pointing to an extremely early age. A very perfect short-bladed bolt-head, with narrow loops. A narrow dagger-blade, with high mid-rib and ridge on handle-plate. Amongst the iron remains there occurred, swords, varying in length from six to eighteen inches, axe-heads, spear-heads, shears, bodkins, and many small articles of domestic use.

229 Proceedings R.I.A., vol. v., p. 417.

230 Not far from Tullamore, on the direct route from the crannog of Lough Annagh to Killeigh, and under a considerable depth of bog, was found a very fine bronze pin, eleven inches long; it tapered to a sharp point at the end, and was headed with a disc, one and a-half inches in diameter, having an obtusely pointed boss in the centre.

231 Proceedings R.I.A., vol. v., p. xxxvii.

232 Journal Royal Hist. and Arch. Asso. of Ireland, vol. v. (New Series), pp. 228-9.

233 “A Letter from Major Wood,” &c.; also, Story’s History, part, ii., p. 73.

234 The “finds” were as follows:—An iron cuirass, ornamented with sunk lines and projecting pigeon-breast medial line; it was furnished with hook and staple to fasten the “back-piece” to the “breast.” This piece of armour was undoubtedly of the seventeenth century; a matchlock, barrel thirty-six inches long; a gun-barrel of small calibre; three pistol-barrels; an iron halbert—a fine sixteenth century specimen; an iron spade, trowel, chisel, axe, and door-bolt; an iron skean or dagger, thirteen inches long, and another, four and a-half inches long; a small iron knife; two sword-blades, twenty-six inches in length; a nondescript article of iron; three curiously-wrought iron keys; a fragment of a bronze ornament; two iron spurs of antique shape; a “spindle-whorl” of stone; a bronze ladle; a bronze spear-head, and a very curiously-shaped brick.

235 Journal Royal Hist. and Arch. Asso. of Ireland, vol. i. (3rd Series), p. 157. Ibid, vol. ii. (New Series), pp. 71-5.

236 Wakefield’s Account of Ireland, vol. i., p. 94.

237 Proceedings R. I. A., vol. ix., pp. 176-9.—H. B. Trench and G. H. Kinahan.

²³⁸ Omitting the ideal restoration, fig. 213 is reproduced from a Paper by R. J. Ussher and G. H. Kinahan, as is also fig. 212.

239 Journal Royal Hist. and Arch. Asso. of Ireland, October, 1879. Proceedings R. I. A. (2nd Series), vol. ii., December, 1880.—R. J. Ussher and G. H. Kinahan.

240 Lyell’s Principles of Geology, vol. ii., p. 164.

241 Ancient Bronze Implements of Great Britain and Ireland, p. 436.

242 In the Museum, R. I. A., Nos. 297 to 302, are stone celts from this crannog, and amongst the miscellaneous bone articles Nos. 1 to 4, and 18, are bone hafts or handles, one of them stained black, and ornamented by spiral and interrupted grooves. There are two horn tines, artificially shaped, and No. 40 is a shank-bone of a sheep or goat, stained black, highly polished, and perforated at one end. Besides the celebrated bronze shield described (ante, p. 71), the following antiquities are recorded as having been discovered in this site:—“A long, narrow, spear-head of bronze, in excellent preservation, the socket—circular in form—measuring nearly twenty-three inches in length, and two one-eighth inches in breadth at base of blade, along which there is a ridge with a feather edge running into flat compressed loops at the junction of blade and socket. A bronze spear-head, slightly defective in socket, but blade perfect; it was found with a portion of the charred handle remaining in it. A very small dagger-blade of bronze, with wide notches in the handle-plate. A bronze tube, probably the ferrule-end of a spear, and having a rivet-hole.”—Cat. Mus., R. I. A., pp. 487, 507-517.

243 Journal Royal Hist. and Arch. Asso. of Ireland, vol. v. (4th series), pp. 336-9.—W. F. Wakeman.

244 Proceedings, R. I. A., vol. ix., pp. 172-176.—G. H. Kinahan.

245 The “finds” here were unimportant, they consisted of a polishing-stone; a dart or arrow-head formed of the carboniferous sandstone of the district; a few sea-shells; some charred bones, principally those of the cow, sheep, pig, and goose—the latter very numerous; hazel nutshells; pieces of chert, off some of which chips seemed to have been struck; small round pebbles of white quartz.—Proceedings R. I. A., vol. x., pp. 31, 33.—G. H. Kinahan.

246 The “finds” on Reed Island were, a whetstone, and fragments of another; a slab of sandstone (probably the hearth); a piece of iron, seemingly portion of some cutting instrument; a quantity of wood-ashes; a circular wooden noggin, with a small round handle; the handle of another vessel; some bright-red colouring matter, rolled up in a piece of birch bark. Near the outside piles were bones of the ox, sheep, and pig, all very much broken and gnawed.

247 Other “finds” on Shore Island were, numerous flat stones, bearing marks of fire—evidently ancient hearths; fragments of upper and lower stones of a two-handled quern; a small arrow-head (chert); a small celt; eighteen hones of various sizes; a rubbing-stone; several sling-stones; two pieces of Silurian grit (artificially worked); a large Silurian nodule; part of a clay crucible; a bronze pin with a swivel head; a crozier of bronze inlaid with silver; iron shears, like sheep-shears of the present day, but some of them small and fine; a battle-axe, hatchet-edged on the one side, and spiked on the other; a vessel of hammered iron, that had been used for smelting purposes; a knife set in a rude bone handle; a semicircular knife; a piercer of bone; a cut piece of deer’s horn; a bone handle of an iron instrument; part of a deer’s horn; many heaps of ashes, and hazel nuts.

248 Proceedings R. I. A., vol. viii., pp. 412-427.—G. H. Kinahan.

249 Cat. Mus. R. I. A., p. 29. Proceedings R. I. A., vol. v., Appendix lxi.

250 Proceedings R. I. A., vol. v., Appendix lxii.

251 Ibid.

252 No special description of the Cloonfree crannogs (2) has been furnished; but the following antiquities, found in or around them, were presented to the Museum R. I. A.:—A small bone spear-head, four inches long; a rude pin, formed apparently of the long bone of a fowl; a boar’s tusk; bronze tweezers; a pin, with ornamental head, carved on two sides; a long pin, with ornamental spike-head; a ring; a (?) buckle; an iron horse-shoe; a fragment, like part of the hilt of a sword; a spike, for butt-end of spear; a pair of tweezers; a small pin, the head bound with bronze wire; two amber beads, one of them flat in shape.—Proceedings R. I. A., vol. v., p. 219.

253 Proceedings R. I. A., vol. v., p. 208, &c.—Appendix, D. H. Kelly.

254 Scientific Transactions of the Royal Dublin Society, vol. i., series ii., p. 222.

255 In the crannogs of Cloonfinlough (2) there were found several bronze spear-heads; pins of great variety of form; a bowl hammered out of the solid (ante, p. 84); a fragment of another (ante, plate XVII., No. 3); two vessels composed of small pieces curiously rivetted together; a brooch of handsome workmanship (ante, p. 117); numerous bone pins and implements; combs of great artistic merit (ante, p. 113); discs and deer’s horns; knives, sickles, hatchets, swords, and spear-heads of iron; an implement made of sheet iron rivetted together, having in the centre a circular ornament with a cross, that evidently once had borne an arabesque pattern; many diminutive frying-pans; small whetstones; single and double bronze rings; a coin of the Emperor Hadrian; a Bulla of Pope Paul V.; several silver coins of the Edwards—one so late as James II.; also a silver coin, unfigured, it is stated, in any collection. From the same locality the following articles, purchased from Mrs. E. Devenish, Clonfinla House, Strokestown, are now in the British Museum:—A bronze dagger and brooch (ante, plate XXXV., Nos. 1 and 2); a plain brooch pin, 5¾ inches in length; fourteen bronze pins of varying size and shape; a cruciform object for attachment, diameter, 1⅞ inches; a harp pin, quatre-foil at one end, round at the other, which is pierced with a hole for the string, length, 2¾ inches; an iron bill-hook, penannular socket, one rivet-hole; a double axe (plate XXXV., No. 6); a spear-head much corroded, no rivet-hole, length, 7⅝ inches; an arrow-head (plate XXXV., No. 4); a knife with long handle, all of iron, length, 7¼ inches; a gouge and chisel combined, length, 9 inches; a gouge, 7⅛ inches; a pair of shears, length, 7¼ inches; a piece of iron with remains of loop handle, length, 4½ inches; a circular pan with straight handles, remains of a loop at the end, length, 7 inches; diameter, 3½ inches; a key, openwork handle, length, 2⅛ inches; a stone chessman (ante, p. 132); a sharpener, grey in colour, square in section, decreasing to each end, length, 4¾ inches; a flat bead of dark-grey shale, diameter, ½ inch; a bone scoop resembling No. 8, on plate VI., and having two rivet-holes at butt, ornamented with group of four dots, length, 5⅞ inches; a curved pin of bone, with flattened head, length, 4⅜ inches; a second pin about half that size; two needles of bone, varying in length from 3⅝ to 2⅞ inches; a ring of stag’s horn (plate XXXV., No. 5); draughtsmen of stag’s horn (p. 131, figs. ¹⁷⁶, ¹⁷⁷); a wooden peg, roughly cut, length, 2½ inches; a bucket stave, with marks of two bands on outside surface, and furrow for bottom on inside, length, 7⅝ inches; a single-piece leather shoe (plate XXXV., No. 7); a silver Scottish 20 shilling piece, obv., crowned head of king, to left in field XX—legend, CAR·D·G·MAG·BR·FR·ET·HIB·REX.—R. crowned thistle—legend, IVST·THRONVM·FIRMAT.

256 The following “finds” from Ardakillen are deposited in the Museum, R. I. A.:—Numerous bone pins of various sizes and designs; twenty-two combs or fragments of same; a bone dart, six and a-half inches long; do., five and a-half inches long; do., four and three-quarter inches long; do., five inches long; a curved piece of deer’s horn, hollowed at the base, and another piece slightly longer; a tine of deer’s horn, hollowed at base; numerous harp-pins of bone (one is figured, ante, p. 125); a curious ovoid piece of bone, polished (ante, p. 105); the leg-bone of a deer, covered with carvings (plate XXXII.); a bronze brooch (ante, p. 117); a small slender torque-pattern ring (ante, p. 118); a bridle-bit (ante, p. 137); several whetstones; a very perfect, thin, narrow rapier-blade, double notches in handle-plate; beads of stone, bone, wood, porcelain, glass, and amber; numerous bronze pins; an oaken water-scoop, with a hollowed-out handle; a wooden mallet; some ogham-inscribed wooden objects.—Journal Royal Hist. and Arch. Assoc. of Ireland, vol. iii. (4th Series), p. 206.

257 Proceedings R. I. A., vol. v., p. 214. Cat. Mus., R. I. A., p. 219.

258 Unfortunately these remains in the Museum, R.I.A., cannot now be identified.

259 The report on the skull has been most kindly furnished by A. W. Foot, M.D., Member, Royal Hist. and Arch. Association of Ireland.

260 Cat. Mus., R.I.A., p. 110.

261 Proceedings, R.I.A., vol. v., Appendix, lix. Cat. Mus., R.I.A., p. 552.

262 Another name for Glencar lake. This crannog lies within the bounds of the Co. Leitrim. The more ancient name of Glencar, as used by the Four Masters, was Cairthe Mulchean, i.e. Mulchan’s Pillar-stone. Gleann-a-Chairthe, pronounced Glencarna, and Glen Dallain, signify the Glen of the Pillar-stone.

263 Irish Names of Places (2nd Series), p. 7. P. W. Joyce.