House - prehistoric, Loughgur, Co. Limerick

Co. Limerick |

Settlement Sites

House – prehistoric, Loughgur, Co. Limerick

On the peninsula of Knockadoon, overlooking the waters of Lough Gur in County Limerick, the faint outline of a Neolithic house sits embedded beneath what became, in a later prehistoric era, one of the largest stone enclosures in the area.

What makes this particular spot quietly remarkable is the layering: a domestic structure that was not demolished or abandoned before the next phase of building, but instead absorbed into it, its hollow deliberately backfilled with a gravel bank to provide a level foundation for the enclosure wall that would rise above it.

The house, recorded as House No. 1 by the archaeologist Seán P. Ó Ríordáin, who excavated it in 1940, measures roughly 7.25 metres east to west and 6.65 metres north to south, making it nearly square. Its walls were partly defined by a low gravel bank with an irregular row of stones on top, and partly by post-holes alone, suggesting a timber-framed structure. Two gaps in the walls, one metre wide on the north side and 1.5 metres on the east, indicate possible entrance points, though which was original remains uncertain. Internally, a large central post-pit and a smaller post-hole supported the roof, and a hearth in the south-western corner, 90 centimetres by 60, still showed a 15-centimetre accumulation of charcoal and burnt earth on a blackened shelf of rock. The pottery found in and around the house was predominantly coarse flat-bottomed ware and western Neolithic sherds. The enclosure that followed, known as Circle K after it was listed by Windle in 1912, is a kerbed enclosure, meaning a defined boundary marked by stone, with a diameter of 31 metres and an entrance passage on the east once flanked by four wooden posts. Grogan's summary of the excavation concluded there was no detectable gap between the two phases of occupation. Five prehistoric burials were also excavated immediately adjacent to the house site.

The site is a national monument in state ownership. It sits within the wider Lough Gur landscape, which contains a dense concentration of prehistoric remains and is well signposted from the village of Bruff and the Lough Gur Visitor Centre nearby. The monument itself is best approached on foot along the Knockadoon peninsula. What survives above ground is subtle rather than dramatic, mainly low earthworks and stone traces, so it rewards a slow, attentive look rather than a quick pass. Visiting outside the summer months, when the site is quieter, makes it easier to read the ground.

Rated 0 out of 5

Visitor Notes

Review type for post source and places source type not found
Added by
Picture of Pete F
Pete F
IrishHistory.com is passionate about helping people discover and connect with the rich stories of their local communities.
Please use the form below to submit any photos you may have of House – prehistoric, Loughgur, Co. Limerick. We're happy to take any suggested edits you may have too. Please be advised it will take us some time to get to these submissions. Thank you.
Name
Email
Message
Upload images/documents
Maximum file size: 100 MB
If you'd like to add an image or a PDF please do it here.

Advertisement