SOCIETY AND SETTLEMENT IN GLENDALOUGH ... - Ian Cantwell

of cults mirrors the ideology and practice of the Peregrinatio. Map 4 99 shows theoverall spread ofCoemgen's cult outside Leinster into the further reaches of'Dal Riadakingdom 1OO . This was a two-way process with cult diffusion (i.e. Mo Chonnoc andPetroc ofCornwall) being transmitted in both directions and the overall picture showsthat Glendalough had wide ranging contacts with Munster, East Ulster and Britain 101.It is not the purpose of this paper to cover Glendalough's political or archaeologicalplace in Ireland as these have been well covered by Mac Sbamhrain and Long in theworks previously cited. The purpose will be to try and highlight some ofthe settlementconsequences for the valley and plateau.Glendalough: Settlement and EconomyFrom the first century the lithology of the Lower lake in Glendalough changes fromgleys to predominantly peat deposits which are likely to be the secondary depositionfrom upland bogs. Sedimentation is happening at a faster rate probably due to the lossof tree cover. In the middle of the 5th century the pollen diagram shows anothershort-term clearance phase ofmostly oak and birch which coincides with an increase ofgrass pollen and charcoal deposits. This does not appear to be sustained as there islater regeneration ofboth tree species. In the middle ofthe 7th century there is anotherclearance phase of oak and hazel with no great change in grass pollen but an increaseof ferns which may indicate clearance for wood but not for agriculture as both grassand cereal values remain low. It is difficult to interpret this as the sources forGlendalough are few with three references (excluding the death of St. Coemgen) forthe centuryl02. It may be that after the founding ofthe monastery there was a declinebut one cannot over interpret the pollen data as the economic linkages with the rest ofLeinster may mean that agricultural produce was imported.99 ibidlooibid. p. 67..9IOlibid. p. 122..5l02 ibid . p. 11228