Verified Document

Crannogs By The Gaelic Elite Essay

" Examples of the mention of the use of the 'crannog' in Lough Laoghaire is stated by Brady and O'Conor to be referenced directly in the Annals of Ulster in 1436. These annals are "contemporary Gaelic records of the high profile events that occurred in Ireland, and such mention carries with it an automatic association of status and dramatic event." (Brady and O'Conor, nd)

III. O'SULLIVAN (1998)

Aidan O'Sullivan writes in the work entitled: "The Archaeology of Lake Settlement in Ireland" (1998) that in the Late Middle Ages...the Gaelic Irish experienced a revival in military power, giving rise to what is commonly known as the 'Gaelic Resurgence'" which was a time when raids increased on the English settlements which were richer and there was a "state of endemic warfare across the country." (O'Sullivan, 1998) Cultural and military renewal among the Gaelic Irish were drivers of the 'Resurgence' as well as the "continued Gaelicization of the Anglo-Norman Lords (the Gaill) and a discernible economic decline in both the Gaelic Irish economic landscape and in the English settlements of the Pale and elsewhere." (O'Sullivan, 1998) the landscape in Ireland was structured primarily around a "dispersed settlement pattern...prior to the coming of the Anglo-Normans..." (O'Sullivan, 1998)

O'Sullivan writes that the countryside while "intensively managed with farmsteads, field systems and routways..." The people in this area lived in "ringforts and cashels, crannogs, royal sites, monastic or church enclosures, and other types of dispersed settlement." (O'Sullivan, 1998) Towns were located at ports and some "monastic sites...may have served as towns."(O'Sullivan, 1998) the manors and granges of Anglo-Normans were important factors in the settled landscape. The manorial farms which were "centered around a manor house and a church" were inhabited by English peasant farmers. It is believed that the Anglo-Norman farms were most likely "worked by Irish tenants, who lived away from the manor house and the church, and therefore nucleated settlements may have been scarcer there." (O'Sullivan, 1998) it is likely therefore that the norm on the borders of the Anglo-Norman territory were dispersed settlements...with farmsteads scattered through the landscape such as mottes and ringwork castles." (O'Sullivan, 1998)

There is still much to be understood about the nature of Gaelic Irish settlements during the medieval and late medieval times however, it is apparent that both ringforts and crannogs were used as a site for those in the upper classes of that society with the towerhouses used a residences by the Gaelic Irish societies upper classes beginning in the "...fifteenth century onwards." (O'Sullivan, 1998) it is stated that the Gaelic Irish of west Ulster were "by the late medieval period...moving continuously through the countryside with their cattle herds and cruchs, in a nomadic settlement system..." And "riverine water-meadows and lakeshore grasslands were seen as valuable, self-renewing resources by farmers." (O'Sullivan, 1998)

O'Sullivan states that a "range of archeological and historical evidence for lake settlement in the medieval period and the late medieval period." (O'Sullivan, 1998) References in historical literature further give indications that "crannogs and islands were used as permanent settlements and as temporary fortifications...

Twice mentioned in history is the crannog on Lough Oughter which was occupied by the O'Reilleys and which was taken in an attack in 1247 by Milid Mac Gosdelb and also is referred to as the site "from which Toirrdelbach mac Aeda Ua Conchobari escaped in 1246..." (1998)
O'Sullivan additionally states that the work of Giraldus Cambrensis entitled: "Topographia Hiberniae" a twelfth century account of Ireland that the Irish lakes "contain islands rising to some height and very beautiful. The lords of the land usually appropriate them as places of safety and refuge, as well as of habitation. They are inaccessible except by boats." (O'Sullivan, 1998)

O'Conor writes in the work entitled: "Later Medieval Settlement in North Roscommon" that evidence presently available indicates that "despite close contacts with the Anglo-Normans since the 12th century" that it took over two centuries for "Gaelic lords to regularly build defended structures that can be classified as castles." (nd) O'Conor reiterates in this work that a great amount of "documentary, pictorial, radiocarbon, dencrochronological and excavated evidence" is in existence to indicate that the crannogs "were widely occupied and used by Gaelic lords throughout the whole later medieval period." (nd)

SUMMARY & CONCLUSION

It is clear from the works reviewed in this study that crannogs were used for purposes of occupation and for purposes of defense by the Gaelic Irish. The lacking in evidence for these findings exists due to the failure of archaeologists to focus research efforts toward documentation of the use of crannogs by the Gaelic Irish. This work has noted the political factors that rendered the crannogs of the Gaelic Irish to be so greatly underexamined in research and in archaeology. However, picture evidence, evidence from annal records and other literature sources make it very clear that the crannogs were used by the Gaelic Irish throughout the thirteenth, fourteenth, and fifteenth centuries and that it is likely that crannogs were used onward into the seventeenth century by Gaelic lords in Ireland.

Sources used in this document:
References in historical literature further give indications that "crannogs and islands were used as permanent settlements and as temporary fortifications by the Gaelic Irish in the thirteenth, fourteenth, and fifteenth centuries." (O'Sullivan, 1998) the military tactics of the Gaelic Irish were such that natural defensive features were used such as those of "lakes, islands, woodlands and bogs." (O'Sullivan, 1998) O'Sullivan states that there is sound archaeological as well as historical evidence that crannogs were occupied as dwellings during the medieval and late medieval periods.

O'Sullivan, just as did Brady and O'Conor, states that historically, the use of crannogs has been ignored by research and has "tended to greatly reduce the attention paid to this later material." (O'Sullivan, 1998) Stated to be the best evidence of archeology for the occupation of crannogs during the thirteenth and sixteenth century were findings of medieval 'everted-rim war and crannog ware..." discovered on several crannogs in the north..." (O'Sullivan, 1998) This type of pottery was hand-made and used for cooking and is stated to be easily distinguished due to its "dark, unglazed appearance and heavy gritty inclusions and texture." (O'Sullivan, 1998)

O'Sullivan states that it is simply obvious that the Gaelic Irish used crannogs and that the Anglo-Normans even used the crannogs at times as defensive military settlements. Twice mentioned in history is the crannog on Lough Oughter which was occupied by the O'Reilleys and which was taken in an attack in 1247 by Milid Mac Gosdelb and also is referred to as the site "from which Toirrdelbach mac Aeda Ua Conchobari escaped in 1246..." (1998)

O'Sullivan additionally states that the work of Giraldus Cambrensis entitled: "Topographia Hiberniae" a twelfth century account of Ireland that the Irish lakes "contain islands rising to some height and very beautiful. The lords of the land usually appropriate them as places of safety and refuge, as well as of habitation. They are inaccessible except by boats." (O'Sullivan, 1998)

O'Conor writes in the work entitled: "Later Medieval Settlement in North Roscommon" that evidence presently available indicates that "despite close contacts with the Anglo-Normans since the 12th century" that it took over two centuries for "Gaelic lords to regularly build defended structures that can be classified as castles." (nd) O'Conor reiterates in this work that a great amount of "documentary, pictorial, radiocarbon, dencrochronological and excavated evidence" is in existence to indicate that the crannogs "were widely occupied and used by Gaelic lords throughout the whole later medieval period." (nd)
Cite this Document:
Copy Bibliography Citation

Related Documents

Archaeology and Science Required Reading:
Words: 1740 Length: 6 Document Type: Essay

But a multi-disciplinary approach is always useful. 4. Should archaeology students be required to take ethnographic methods classes? Yes, because that knowledge is necessary in understanding the cultures of local communities or indigenous people on whose territory an archeologist studies sites and artifacts. Local communities are also affected by excavations and the knowledge about them is essential for doing archaeology. 5. Why is timely publication important? The data are already old! One of

Archaeology Is One of the
Words: 2696 Length: 8 Document Type: Essay

In this way, material culture and social paradigm were embedded in the cultural mythology of any given time in the past. This once again emphasizes the inaccuracy of the Christian myth as the sole archaeological paradigm of research. The recognition of myth and indeed the "other" in the past provides the archaeologist with a fresh view of the past, which is much richer and wider than might previously have been

Archaeology After Brushing Off All the Debris,
Words: 1984 Length: 6 Document Type: Essay

Archaeology After brushing off all the debris, the team of archaeologists lifted the time capsule with a great sense of satisfaction and placed it on the research table. Inside we found five items that will enhance our understanding of life in the United States of America, circa 1969. The first two items we unearthed from the time capsule were bundled together using a piece of rough twine. The larger of the

Archaeology the Archaeological and Historical Consequences of
Words: 930 Length: 3 Document Type: Term Paper

Archaeology The Archaeological and Historical Consequences of the U.S. Invasion of Iraq Like any war, the war waged against Iraq by U.S. forces has resulted in the destruction of more than just military sites. Many of Iraq's cultural sites, including museums, libraries and significant ancient sites have been the victims of destruction. According to article by National Geographic News, "although U.S. bombs have spared most sites and treasures, some ancient locations have been

Archaeology the Issue at Hand With Respect
Words: 1616 Length: 5 Document Type: Essay

Archaeology The issue at hand with respect to Olmec pottery relates to the chemical composition of the pottery sherds, and the implications that these chemical compositions have for the trade of pottery among the people of the Mexican highlands. There are two positions posited in the readings, and Sharer (2006) does a good job of explaining the issue. All of the researchers use instrumental neutron activation analysis (INAA) to determine the

The Lost Golden City of Luxor in Egypt Recent Great Discovery in...
Words: 1322 Length: 4 Document Type: Research Paper

Recent Great Discovery in Archaeology: The Lost Golden City of Luxor in EgyptFor decades, experts had examined the pottery of the Moche, an early civilization of farmers and fishermen who flourished between 1,900 and 1,200 years ago along Peru�s north coast (Benson, 1-22). Throughout the years, archeologists have actively undertaken exploration projects to discover some of the renowned ancient civilizations and various aspects of man, including the remains of early

Sign Up for Unlimited Study Help

Our semester plans gives you unlimited, unrestricted access to our entire library of resources —writing tools, guides, example essays, tutorials, class notes, and more.

Get Started Now