Of creatures in old worlds, of nameless worms
Whose generations lived and died ere man,
A worm of other class, to crawl began.”
Opposite the crannog, the beach on the mainland is strewn with fractured bones similar to those on the island. The antlers of a Cervus elaphus were found close to the shore, and a wooden peg (ante, p. [104], [fig. 108]) was seen lying on the bottom near a beam. In one of the mythical legends of the “Pursuit of Diarmuid and Grainne,” mention is made of the Glencar lake-dwellings as one of their places of refuge.
Lough Arrow.—Not far from the old Abbey of Ballindoon is an artificial island formed almost entirely of stones; the earth—in which a few young firs are now growing—was brought to it by the late proprietor, J. Gethin. This crannog, the largest of a group, still stands well above the surface of the lake. To the north—but separated from it by a deep and narrow channel—is a shoal called “Sunken Island,” which is in summer weather almost dry, and around both these sites were numerous fractured bones of the Bos longifrons, Cervus elaphus, and Sus scrofa. Still further to the north, and close to the shore of Ballindoon demesne, is plainly discernible the summit of a large pile of stones, evidently deposited by human agency, but the depth of water effectually precluded any hope of obtaining handicraft “finds.” The island at Annaghcloy Point is said to be artificial, and around Oilean-na-prechaun (Crow Island)—seemingly formed of small stones, and situated near the exit of the river Unshin from Lough Arrow, at Bellarush bridge—were found lying on the beach numerous fractured bones of the usual crannog type.
Lochanacrannog is the name of a small townland in the barony of Tireragh, near the residence of Sir Malby Crofton, Bart. The small pond in which the crannog is situated becomes almost dry in summer, yet, despite this favourable circumstance, no relics have been discovered. A trench cut through the island showed that it was composed of clay mingled with some few stones, and these, around the exterior edge, were arranged in a systematic manner.
Fig. 236.—General view of Lochanacrannog.