2002:1281 - TONYMORE NORTH, Longford

During summer 2002 The Discovery Programme carried out concentrated fieldwork in Lough Kinale. Some of the activities concentrated on the three high crannogs in the lake, two of which could be classified as high-cairn crannogs. The overall aim was to learn more about people’s way of relating to lakes over time. The crannog in Tonymore North (SMR 11:35) is near the shore in the south-eastern part of the lake. This site had been subject to detailed work by the Crannog Archaeology Project and the National Museum of Ireland after illegal treasure hunting and the recovery of the Lough Kinale book shrine (see Farrell et al. 1989; Kelly 1991).

Limited underwater survey and sampling were undertaken at this site. The aims were to learn more about the morphological features of some midland crannogs and to assess the contemporaneity of the site with the other sites in this area (see 02E1070, 02E1071, Nos 1266 and 1268, Excavations 2002). Among other things, the survey found a timber structure under the main cairn material, dating from the middle/later part of the early medieval period. There were also indications that the site continued in use into the beginning of the later medieval period (Fredengren 2002).

References
Farrell, R.T., Kelly, E.P. and Gowen, M. 1989 The Crannog Archaeological Project (CAP), Republic of Ireland: a pre-preliminary report. International Journal of Nautical Archaeology and Underwater Exploration 18 (2), 123–36.
Fredengren, C. 2002 Discovery Programme in Lough Kinale. Archaeology Ireland 16 (4), 20–3.
Kelly, E.P. 1991 Observations on Irish lake dwellings. In C. Karkov and R. Farrell (eds), Studies in Insular art and archaeology, 81–98. American Early Medieval Studies 1. Miami.