2001:1236 - RELOUGH, Tyrone

During May 2001 a concerned member of the public contacted EHS to report dumping of hard-core material near a known crannog in Tullyleek Lough. The owner undertook to remove this material, and it was arranged that EHS personnel would monitor the operation.

The owner had also arranged the cutting of a drain (c. 1m wide and 1.5m deep) through a dried-up area to the south of the lake. The spoil from this drain was examined and archaeological material was identified, consisting of large amounts of bone, some of which was burnt, worked wood and hazelnut shells.

A more thorough examination of this spoil revealed an iron sword which had been bent in antiquity. The thin double-edged blade was 0.43m in length and tapered to the point. Some bulbous corrosion had accumulated on one edge of the blade near the point. A rib ran up the centre of the blade and an X-ray has shown that the shoulders are set at right angles to the sword’s sharp edges. The 0.1m-long tang was cylindrical, and projecting from it was a small 20mm-long spike, possibly to assist in the fitting of a pommel. A blue glass bead and several wooden ‘bolts’ were also recovered, along with the remains of a shoe.

The level of water in the drain dropped during the course of the work, revealing structural timbers and piling. It was therefore possible to ascertain that the drain had truncated another crannog located some 30m south of the previously known example. As a result of the findings, the original extent of this small inter-drumlin lake is to be scheduled to prevent further disturbance and to protect any ancillary features within the lake. The owner was informed of the possible existence of a second site and agreed not to cause any further disturbance.

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