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Magherafelt Crannog is a Early Christian artificial island settlement located in County Londonderry, Northern Ireland. The monument sits above bedrock composed of Palaeogene extrusive rocks, mafic lavas and tuffs formed during volcanic activity in the Paleogene period. This geological foundation would have influenced water levels and drainage patterns around the site when it was first constructed.
Crannogs were artificial or semi-artificial islands built as domestic settlements from the Neolithic period onwards, with particular concentrations in the Early Christian period across Ireland and Scotland. They were typically constructed by driving timber posts into lake or bog beds and layering brushwood, stone and clay to form a dwelling platform. Magherafelt Crannog represents this widespread tradition of lacustrine settlement in early medieval Ulster.
The site is protected by the Historic Environment Division of the Department for Communities under reference 12906, recognising its archaeological significance as evidence of Early Christian settlement patterns and building practices in the region. The crannog's location in the Magherafelt area contributes to understanding the distribution and character of early medieval occupation across the landscape of central Northern Ireland.
Crannog is a scheduled monument protected by Department for Communities NI under reference 12906. View the official record →
Magherafelt Crannog is a Early Christian artificial island settlement located in County Londonderry, Northern Ireland. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by DfC Northern Ireland (NISMR) under reference 12906.
Crannog dates from the e.christ. period, and is classified as a crannog. It is one of over 32,000 scheduled monuments protected across the UK.
Crannog is a Scheduled Ancient Monument, legally protected by DfC Northern Ireland (NISMR) — the body responsible for designating and safeguarding heritage sites in Ni. The official designation reference is 12906.
Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Enclosure (0.1 km), Rath (2.9 km), Barrow (3.3 km).
This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 14 strands of Crannog's history, each drawn from the record and mapped to the exact spot:
Every location is different. Not every section appears for every place, only what the historical record actually holds turns up in a report.
Crannog stands on Unnamed Extrusive Rocks, Palaeogene, bedrock that formed in the Paleogene. The rock here is mafic lava and mafic tuff.