Crannog

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Bronze / Iron Age 2,000bc. to 600ad.

Crannógs / Man made lake dwellings

Generally speaking, the EARTHEN Ring Forts were called Ràths, Liss, or Dùn, while the STONE Forts were called Caher, or Cashel. The CRANNÓG was constructed on a MAN MADE island, in a Lake. This " island ", was constructed from OAK PYLONS which were RAMMED, ( VERTICALLY ), into the lake bed, to form a CIRCULAR RETAINING wall, into which stone and clay were piled, creating a" PLATFORM ", on which the CRANNÓG / FORTIFIED TIMBER FORT was then BUILT. The OAK PYLONS which were visible above the WATER-LINE were then covered in WATTLING, ( i.e. SALLY branches), WOVEN through the UPRIGHTS so as to form a PROTECTED INTERIOR. The HUTS / ROUND HOUSES were constructed in much the same way, but here the WATTLING was covered in DAUB, ( mud, straw, hair, cowdung, etc. mixed to make a PLASTER ), and DAUBED to both the INTERIOR and EXTERIOR WATTLING making them water tight. The ROOF was of THATCH i.e. BUNDLES of STRAW or REEDS, and allowed fires to be lit within the house ( if you would like to see a RECONSTRUCTION of an Iron Age building ).

In Cragganowen, ( reconstructed CRANNÓG ), the entrance walkway is built above the water level, but in many of the original Iron Age Crannóg's these would have been SUBMERGED stones, placed in a certain PATTERN, known only to the DWELLERS, as an extra method of safety. The remains of a Crannóg is to be seen in Co. Sligo, and gives one an idea of the quantities of Stone, Wood, Animal Bone, etc. which would have been required to construct" an island ", like this. These have been dated to the Bronze / Iron ages, i.e. 600bc., (late Bronze Age), and were used up to the Early Christian, or C4th., taken from wood "samples", ( Dendro-chronology ) , used in their construction. The remnants of a Crannóg was excavated recently in Wales by the Time Team.