archaeological & built heritage assessment - The Heritage Council

9 Conclusions
The significance of the waterway corridor from the Upper Shannon Navigation and Boyle River
Navigation to Roosky including Lough Allen, Lough Key and the Carnadoe Waters has been outlined in
Section 7 (Statement of Significance). The presence of the waterway and the vast amount of resources it
provides was a fundamental factor in the foundation and continued development of early settlement in
Ireland. Furthermore, the range of archaeological sites and monuments that have been identified in this
study are inherently linked to the adjacent waterway and to each other thus creating the union of a
diversity of disciplines that can be experienced as an entire entity. The aesthetic rural setting of the
waterway corridor is a natural invaluable resource to this region of the Upper Shannon and every
opportunity should be grasped to enhance its beauty and urge the return of its many visitors each year.
An examination of the Character Assessment Areas outlined in Section 6 serves to highlight certain
gaps in our archaeological knowledge of the lands which flank the waterway within a 500m parameter.
While there is a vast amount of insight to be gained from the prehistoric votive offerings that have been
found in the waterway itself, there are very little recorded remains of prehistoric sites and monuments in
the entire corridor. A court tomb is recorded at Cleighran More, Co. Leitrim and a megalithic
(unclassified) tomb exists at Cootehall, Co. Roscommon. There is only one recorded standing stone and
that is located at Mullaghfadda, Co. Leitrim. It is clear that the waterway, when in flood, may have been a
formidable barrier to prehistoric peoples as well as a deterrent to set up any type of permanent
settlement. However, it is likely that these lands, if not permanently settled would have provided an
important hunting resource in terms of wildfowl and fishing that would have been utilized regularly and as
such there is potentially further prehistoric features to be discovered in this region. In addition there is a
significant amount of Bronze Age artefacts retrieved from the study area and at least ten fulachta fiadh
have been discovered via excavation. The latter were previously unrecorded and due to infrastructure
development in recent years throughout the study area, new sites have been discovered which indicates
that more such sites may yet be uncovered. This may reflect the rich array of prehistoric artefacts that
have been found thus far.
Although there seems to be a lack of Neolithic and Bronze Age ‘built’ activity, there is substantial
evidence of Iron Age activity, largely reflected by the linear earthworks located in the region. This in itself
is unique since our evidence for the Iron Age period is somewhat limited. The later first millennium BC
and the early centuries AD are amongst the most obscure in Irish prehistoric archaeology (Waddell 1998,
279). There is general agreement that the development of an iron technology was a significant factor in
the eventual demise of bronze working on a large scale, but how, why and when this came about in
Ireland is far from clear (ibid.). Waddell states that ‘domestic occupation sites remain virtually unknown
and our understanding of settlement, economy and social structure in the period from 600 BC to the
early centuries AD is meagre in the extreme’ (1998, 319).
None of the ecclesiastical settlements located along the waterway corridor have had a significant tradition
of people/pilgrims visiting these sites. It is known that the establishment of these religious centres was
linked to the natural presence of the waters. As such, efforts should be made not only in making
provisions for a place for prayer, but also a place of educational value and a platform for mediation and
quiet contemplation. The Annals of Loch Cé were written on Church Island, Lough Key from 1014 to 1590
and this factor could be instrumental in creating an awareness of the social, religious and political climate
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