EMAP_Progress_Reports_2009_2.pdf - The Heritage Council

Mayo
This is similar to the metalworking areas at Moynagh Lough crannog, Co. Meath, which
appear to have been to the right as a person entered the crannog.
The crannog at Lough More is highly unusual in that it appears to have been entirely an
ironworking site. The only structural evidence is the palisade and stone paving while the only
finds are related to ironworking. There are no traces of occupation structures or any other
forms of domestic or industrial activity. The heavy concentration of slag, the presence of
possible furnaces and the hollowed stones used as crushers suggests its inhabitants were
smelting iron from the ores found in the nearby bogs. The present lake is coloured rusty red
in the spring, and small quarries in the gravel ridge to the west end of the lake may be
evidence for early open cast mining. There is little other evidence for contemporary
settlement in this immediate setting, although there are large numbers of ringforts and stone
cashels in the landscape several miles to the northeast. Bofeenaun provides many contrasts
with such larger sites as Moynagh Lough, Lagore and Ballinderry. It was entirely industrial in
function, focused only on iron production from local ores. Furthermore, it seems to have been
occupied only for a short duration, as there was little evidence for long-term occupation. It is
also possible that it was not occupied at all, being only a work-site for people living elsewhere
in the wider landscape. It confirms that not all crannogs were domestic occupations, many of
the crannog cairns and small sites may also be industrial sites.
Dendrochronological Dates:
Sample
Date
Oak Timber A.D. 804±9
References:
Lawless, C. 1992. Lough More, Bofeenaun, Co. Mayo: crannog, fulachta fiadh, deer traps and
associated archaeological sites. Cathair Na Mart 12, (1), 13–31.
Keane, M. 1995. Lough More, Co. Mayo: the crannog. Irish Archaeological Wetland Unit
Transactions, 4, 167–82.
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