Part 2: Chapter 10: Kilfinaghta Parish: Ballymulcashel Townland

Site K, Ballymulcashel: Shot from the south-west of Castle Lake,
with the vegetation covered crannog clearly visible in the centre.

Description of site:
“… The Crannoge is a small island about 60 feet across and rising 5 or 6 feet above the water level, which, owning to the dryness of the past summer (i.e. 1900) is sufficiently low to show much of the timberwork which is usually entirely submerged…”
                                                                                    Westropp, 1901, pages 433 & 434.

How was this island constructed? Westropp, in the above cited article, gives quite a deal of information on this point. Firstly long poles up to 6” (30 cm) thick were driven into the lake bed. Cross-beams, some up to 8 feet (2.40 metres) long, were laid down around these vertical poles. Next other beams were laid down, the whole lot being kept in position by stones of varying sizes. By this procedure (i.e. beams, poles and stones) an artificial island was constructed.

During an examination of this feature in 1901 an iron axe was found, along with a boar’s tusk. In the case of the former find this was achieved not by smelting but by hammering an ironstone nodule into shape.

Field examination, in 1978, noted that MacCarthy’s Island is now heavily covered by vegetation, much of it being mature trees.

REFERENCES TO BALLYMULCASHEL CRANNOG

Westropp, 1901,           Page 433, 434
Westropp, 1913,           Page 65