"Ancient crannog found in Derry..." Topic

Drought conditions led to the drying of a bog and the discovery of a unique Celtic crannog or fortified island. Most are made from timber and earth but this one is stone-built.

Local archaeologist say they were previously unaware of it. Film footage from the BBC runs for 2 mins 35 secs.

link

Possibly dates to the Dark Ages or Early Medieval period.

Barry

Pretty cool.

Sudden thought. For those not familiar with a Celtic crannog try this…

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crannog

Just because I have archaeological intrerests and I live in the UK does not mean that everyone else knows what they are.

Also this: crannog.co.uk

Barry

A swamp wouldn't be my first choice for any kind of dwelling, the mosquitoes would suck everyone dry. Still, you have to admire their tenacity: YouTube link

Oh snap Stryderg…

Ireland has never had much a of mosquito problem. Midges maybe, but they aren't limited to bogs.

Stryderg, a swamp might be my first choice for a dwelling if I were on the outs with the local authorities. Think Francis Marion, or Hereward the Wake. Warspite's new find is in Ulster, and from Wikipedia's terminal dates, the O'Neals could have been using it against Elizabeth I.

Quite possibly. Crannogs were certainly still around and actively used in the Nine Years' War. Here's an image of a McMahon crannog under attack in Monaghan, early years of the 17th Century (From the Bartlet maps of 1609 I think)

I assume they weren't permanent habitation, but rereated to in times of war. So you'd suffer the boggy conditions as a trade off for the security it would provide.

In Aotearoa (New Zealand), Māori often used pā in that way, right up to the mid nineteen century Land Wars.

Cheers,
John

I was surprised that it might be medieval. I didn't realize crannogs were used that late. I've always thought of them as prehistoric or iron age. Learn something new every day.