NATURAL HISTORY SOCIETY OF GLASGOW. IGl 



Of greater age, generally, are the lake dwellings or " cranno- 

 ges," of which there are a few examples in this neighbourhood. 

 Owing to the extensive drainage which has being going on during 

 the last few years in Ireland, the level of the lakes has been 

 lowered, and thus have been revealed some of these old dwellings 

 long lost to sight. These crannoges are small islands, built upon 

 piles, entirel}^ in the water, and surrounded by a stockade driven 

 into the bed of the lake, and bound together by horizontal beams 

 of oak, which were morticed to the piles, and on them seem to 

 have been erected the dwellings and other buildings of the 

 inhabitants. One such has recently been exposed in Portlough, 

 on the other side of Fort-Stewart, four miles from Eamelton. The 

 island in the centre of this lough rests on piles, and several objects 

 connecting it with man have been discovered. In the crannoges 

 there are generally found a few large slabs of stone, which seem 

 to have been used as hearth-stones. They would indicate that 

 there was only one kitchen for the island, for here are found the 

 bones of sheep, oxen, deer, and fish. In Lough Columbkille, near 

 Milford, there is a small island which may be an example of the 

 lake dwelling, as there are apparent signs of a causeway out to the 

 island, and the stones which are heaped on it have evidently been 

 placed there by man. 



The Swiss lake dwellings are certainly much more ancient than 

 these Irish crannoges, for flint arrow heads and stone celts form a 

 notable proportion of the remains found in them, but the imple- 

 ments associated with the Irish lake dwellings are mostly of iron. 

 Moreover, there is documentary evidence of the occupation of 

 lake fortresses in the time of Elizabeth, and of some at an even 

 later date. The following passage is from a letter, dated 1567, in 

 answer to an enquiry from the English Government as to what 

 castles or forts O'Neill had, and " of what strength they be " : — 



"For castles I think it be not unknown to y"^ honours he 



trusteth no point thereunto for his safety, as appeareth by the 



raising of the strongest castles of all his countreys, and that 



fortifications he only dependeth upon is in sartin fresh icater loghes 



in his countrey, which from the sea there cometh neither shippe 



nor boat to approache them. It is thought then in the said 



fortified islands lyeth all his plate, which is much, and many 



prisoners. The islands hath in war before been attemptid, and 

 VOL. IIL L 



