2018 Field Survey

The 2018 Lough Key Archaeological Project survey focussed on the Rock of Lough Key, the stronghold of one of the major Gaelic lordships in medieval Ireland.  Our goal was to identify any evidence of subsurface features within the enclosure on the island.

The Rock of Lough Key is a multi-period island fortification with elements dating to the twelfth and fifteenth centuries.  A large stone wall, or cashel, surrounds the original island, while a tower house was inserted into the cashel some time in the later middle ages.

The results from the summer of 2018 were extremely positive thanks to the hard work of our student volunteers.  We identified a number of sub surface hot spots, and may have identified a structure immediately opposite the tower house.  Images will be posted in September, 2018.