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Two crannogs is a pair of early Christian artificial islands located at Dungannon in County Tyrone, Northern Ireland. Crannogs were constructed dwellings built on freshwater lakes or bog, comprising timber-framed roundhouses erected on a foundation of logs, stones and organic debris. Their remoteness from mainland settlements offered defensive advantages and protection from the flooding conditions of the surrounding wetlands. The site sits above bedrock of the Tyrone Group, comprising limestone, mudstone, sandstone and siltstone with subordinate chert, coal and conglomerate deposits of Visean age, which would have influenced the hydrology and accessibility of the water body upon which the structures were built.
The construction of crannogs intensified during the early Christian period in Ireland, when monastic communities and secular households alike established themselves in isolated waterside locations. Such settlements have yielded evidence of domestic life, craft activity and trade connections. The Dungannon crannogs were likely occupied during the early medieval centuries, serving as a secure domestic settlement for a family or small community, though the extent of any monastic associations remains unclear.
The monument is protected by the Historic Environment Division under reference 15332 and represents an important testimony to early Christian settlement patterns and construction techniques in Ulster. Archaeological survey and finds from nearby locations contribute to understanding how these artificial islands functioned within the regional landscape of north-central Ireland during the early medieval period.
Two crannogs is a scheduled monument protected by Department for Communities NI under reference 15332. View the official record →
Two crannogs is a pair of early Christian artificial islands located at Dungannon in County Tyrone, Northern Ireland. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by DfC Northern Ireland (NISMR) under reference 15332.
Two crannogs 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.
Two crannogs 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 15332.
Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Ballymagillagh. platform rath (2.4 km), Clogh corr. standing stone (2.9 km), Hut platform (3.1 km).
This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 14 strands of Two crannogs'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.
Two crannogs stands on Tyrone Group, bedrock that formed in the Visean. The rock here is limestone, mudstone, sandstone and siltstone, with subordinate chert, coal and conglomerate.