List of archaeological sites in County Cork facts for kids

Archaeological sites are like giant puzzle pieces from the past! They are places where people lived, worked, or were buried a very long time ago. By studying these sites, archaeologists (who are like history detectives!) can learn amazing things about how people lived in County Cork, Ireland, thousands of years ago.

This article will take you on a journey through some of the most interesting ancient places in County Cork, from old forts to mysterious stone circles and even ancient mines!

Exploring Ancient Cork's History

Bantry Area Discoveries

The Bantry area is full of ancient secrets! You can find many different types of archaeological sites here:

• Coastal Promontory Forts: Imagine a fort built right on a cliff edge, protected by the sea on three sides! These were strongholds used by ancient people. One is found in Dromclogh.
• Franciscan Friary: This was a type of monastery where Franciscan monks lived and prayed. The one in Bantry was built around 1466 but closed down in 1542.
• Fulacht Fiadh: This might sound strange, but a fulacht fiadh was an ancient cooking pit! People would heat stones in a fire and then drop them into a water-filled pit to boil water for cooking or even bathing. One is in Dromclogh.
• Holy Wells: These are special springs or wells that people believed had healing powers or were sacred.
• Iron Working Sites: Places where ancient people made tools and weapons from iron, showing they were skilled craftspeople.
• Ringforts: These were circular forts, usually surrounded by an earthen bank and ditch. Many families lived inside them. You can find ringforts in places like Ardhoolihane and Beach.
• Standing Stones: Tall, upright stones placed by ancient people, sometimes for ceremonies or to mark special places. You can see them in Beach and Dromclogh.

Some interesting townland names in the Bantry area include:

• Abbey: Named for the old friary.
• Ardnagashel: Means "height of the forts," suggesting many ancient forts were once there.
• Ballylickey: Means "mouth of the fording flagstone," pointing to a place where people crossed a river using flat stones.
• Derryarkane: This area has a famous stone circle, a mysterious ring of stones that might have been used for ceremonies or to track the sun and moon.
• Kilnaruane: Here you can find a special pillar stone, which is a tall, carved stone from early Christian times.

Bere Island's Ancient Past

Bere Island also holds clues to how people lived long ago:

• Batteries: These were military defenses, often with cannons, built to protect the coast.
• Martello Towers: Small, round forts built by the British in the early 1800s to defend against invasion. One in Ardaragh West was also a telegraph station!
• Promontory Forts: Like those in Bantry, these forts were built on headlands sticking out into the sea.
• Ringforts: Circular forts for living.
• Signal Towers: These towers were used to send messages quickly across long distances using flags or lights.
• Standing Stones: Tall stones standing alone.
• Wedge Tombs: These are ancient burial places, shaped like a wedge, where important people might have been buried. One is found in Ardaragh West.

Cape Clear Island's Heritage

Cape Clear Island, off the coast of Cork, is rich in ancient history:

• Boulder Burials: These are large stones placed over ancient graves.
• Burial Grounds: Places where people were buried, sometimes specifically for children.
• Celtic Art Stone: A stone with ancient Celtic designs, showing the amazing art of people from the Iron Age (around 600 BC to 400 AD).
• Churches: Remains of old churches, like one in Baile Iarthach that was already a ruin by 1693.
• Cross Slabs: Flat stones with crosses carved into them, often from early Christian times.
• Cup Mark Stones: Stones with small, cup-shaped hollows carved into them, their purpose is still a mystery! One from Cill Leire Forabhain is now in the Cape Clear Museum.
• Fulacht Fiadh (Cooking Pits): More ancient cooking spots!
• Holy Wells: Sacred wells, like one visited on St. Kieran's Day.
• O'Driscoll Castle: A medieval castle (built after 1200 AD) belonging to the O'Driscoll family, who were powerful rulers in the area.
• Passage Tombs: Very old burial chambers (from 4000 to 2200 BC) with a passage leading to a central burial room. One was found in Cill Leire Forabhain in 1880.
• Promontory Forts: Cliff-edge forts from the Celtic Iron Age.
• Ringforts: Circular living forts.
• Signal Towers: Used for communication, like the one in Gleann Iarthach that burned down in the early 1800s.
• Stone Pairs: Two standing stones placed together, dating back to the Neolithic period (4000 to 2200 BC).
• Tower House and Bawn: A tower house was a strong, tall home for a powerful family, often with a defensive wall (bawn) around it. The O'Driscoll family had one in Baile Iarthach.

Dursey Island's Ancient Sites

Dursey Island, at the very tip of the Beara Peninsula, also has fascinating archaeological finds:

• Ballaun Stones: Stones with bowl-shaped hollows, possibly used for grinding or rituals.
• Castle Site: The remains of a castle, like the O'Sullivan garrison's castle in Ballynacallagh from 1602.
• Cup Marked Stone: Another stone with mysterious cup-shaped carvings.
• Graveyard/Ruined Church: Evidence of ancient communities and their burial practices.
• Hut Site: Where ancient homes or shelters once stood.
• Radial Stone Enclosure: A circular area enclosed by stones, with lines of stones radiating outwards like spokes on a wheel.
• Signal Tower: Another communication tower, similar to those on Bere Island and Cape Clear.

Mizen Head Peninsula's Rich Past

The Mizen Head Peninsula is packed with ancient history, especially from the Bronze Age and Iron Age:

• Altar and Wedge Tombs: These are ancient burial sites from the Bronze Age (2200 BC - 600 BC), often shaped like a wedge.
• Portal Tombs: Even older burial sites (4000 - 2200 BC) with large capstones supported by upright stones, creating a "doorway" appearance. One is in Arderrawinny.
• O'Mahony and McCarthy Castles: Many medieval castles (built after 1200 AD) dot the landscape, showing the power of families like the O'Mahonys and McCarthys. Examples include Ardintenant and Dunmanus.
• Rock Art: Ancient carvings on rocks, often spirals or cup marks, from the Bronze Age. One is in Ballybane West.
• Churches and Graveyards: Many sites show early Christian activity (400 - 1200 AD), like the church in Kilangle.
• Coastal Promontory Forts: Strongholds on cliff edges from the Celtic Iron Age (600 BC - 400 AD), such as Dunlough.
• Stone Circles and Standing Stones: Mysterious arrangements of stones, like the stone circle in Dunbeacon, from the Bronze Age.
• Copper Mines: One of the most amazing sites is the ancient copper mines on Mount Gabriel, where people mined copper during the Bronze Age! This shows how skilled ancient people were at mining and metalwork.
• Stone Alignments: Rows of standing stones, possibly used for ceremonies or astronomical observations.
• Ringforts: Many circular forts from the Celtic Iron Age.

Sheep's Head Peninsula Archaeology

The Sheep's Head Peninsula is another fantastic area for exploring ancient sites:

• Boulder Burials: Large stones marking ancient graves.
• Burial Grounds: Places where people were buried, including special children's burial grounds.
• Cairns: Mounds of stones, often built over graves or for ceremonial purposes.
• Castles and Tower Houses: Medieval strongholds, like the one in Rossmore, which might have belonged to the O'Mahony or McCarthy families.
• Churches and Graveyards: Remains of old churches, some dating back to the 1600s.
• Fulacht Fiadha (Cooking Pits): More ancient cooking sites from the Celtic Iron Age.
• Holy Wells: Sacred wells, like the one in Dunbeacon.
• Promontory Forts: Cliff-edge forts from the Celtic Iron Age.
• Ringforts: Many circular forts where ancient families lived, from the Celtic Iron Age.
• Shell Middens: Piles of discarded shells, showing where ancient people ate shellfish.
• Standing Stones (Gallauns): Tall, upright stones, sometimes in pairs, from the Bronze Age. You can see the famous Coolcoulaghta Stone Pair.
• Stone Rows and Stone Circles: Lines or circles of stones, often from the Bronze Age, used for unknown purposes, perhaps ceremonies or tracking the stars.

Durrus Townlands of Interest

The Durrus area has many townlands with interesting names that tell us about their history:

• Ballycomane: Means "town of the little valley." It has a boulder burial, ringfort, and standing stone pair.
• Brahalish: Might mean "spotted forts." This area is famous for the Brahalish Hoard, a collection of gold ornaments now in the British Museum!
• Clonee: Means "meadow of the deer." It has a ringfort in its center.
• Coolcoulaghta: This townland has many sites, including a burial ground (where famine victims were buried in 1847), a cairn, a promontory fort, a fulacht fiadh, a ringfort, and standing stones.
• Dromreagh: Means "striped/grey ridge." It has a possible souterrain (an underground passage or chamber) and a standing stone.
• Durrus: Means "dark wooded promontory."
• Kiloveenoge: Means "Minogue's church." It has a children's burial ground.
• Mullagh: Means "summit." It has a possible souterrain and a fort called Lissavully Fort.
• Rossmore: Means "large copse or large promontory." It has the ruins of Rossmore Castle, an old O'Mahony tower house.

Kilcrohane Archaeology

Kilcrohane is another area with many ancient sites:

• Ringforts: Many circular forts from the Celtic Iron Age.
• Holy Wells: Sacred wells, like Tober na nduanairidhe, which means "well of the poets."
• Cashels: Stone forts, similar to ringforts but built with stone walls instead of earth.
• Burial Grounds: Including children's burial grounds.
• Holed Stone: A stone with a hole in it, believed to have healing powers.
• Promontory Forts: Cliff-edge forts from the Celtic Iron Age.
• Bardic School: In Dromnea, there was a school for bards, who were ancient poets and storytellers!
• Stone Rows and Standing Stones: Lines of stones and single standing stones from the Bronze Age.
• Souterrains: Underground passages or chambers, often used for storage or as hiding places.
• Tower Houses: Strong, tall homes for powerful families.
• Signal Towers: Used for communication.

Kilcrohane Townlands of Interest

Some townlands in Kilcrohane have names that tell us about their history:

• Ardanenig: Means "height of the fair or assembly place," suggesting it was once a meeting spot.
• Ballyruin: This townland has the ruins of the house where the famous poet Angus na n-Aor O Dalaigh lived in 1610.
• Caher: Means "stone fort." It has the Bawnacaheragh Fort and old burial grounds.
• Caherurlagh: Means "eagle fort" or "fort of the skirmish." It has a holed stone and a ringfort.
• Dromnea: Means "ridge of the deer." It was home to a bardic school and a holy well.
• Farranamanagh: Means "monk's land," suggesting it was once owned by monks. It has a stone row, children's burial ground, souterrain, and standing stone.
• Laherndotia: Known for its holy wells, including Tobar Cnoc a'Phuca, the "well of the pooka's hill" (a pooka is a mythical creature!).
• Tooreen: Means "grassland" or "sheepwalk." It's near the extreme point known as Sheep's Head.