Coolanlough Crannog is located in the townland of Cross, Fair Head, near Ballycastle. The crannog in the lake dates back to approximately the 1600s and, according to the Ordnance Survey (OS) Memoirs of 1838, was built by one of the McDonnell chieftains who apparently had a house and land on Fair Head. It originally had a surrounding wall of stone mixed with clay and was constructed by driving tree trunks into the lake bed and backfilling with stones and soil deposited on top. At this time it had green grass with wildflowers.
During the time of the Penal Code, it was used as a place of worship for Roman Catholics, with a nearby hillock having a person on lookout duty watching for the authorities. This practice came to an abrupt end when a heavily laden boat carrying the clergy and congregation capsized and many were drowned in the lake. After that, a further disaster struck when the island caught fire and the old soil in the wall was burnt reducing it to the size we see today. A cross situated on the island gave it the name of Lough-na-Cressa according to the OS Memoirs in 1838. Over the centuries this name has disappeared, like the cross, and is now known as Coolanlough Crannog. It is very picturesque and unexpected amid the wild scenery and farmland of Fair Head.
This post is part of the What’s That? Project. Funded by The Community Arts, Culture and Heritage Fund & The Community Foundation for NI. The aim of the project is to highlight local historical sites and give people a short history of what is there. Photos by John Healy.
