Description
Book SynopsisRingforts were an important part of the rural settlement landscape of early medieval Ireland (AD 400–1100). While most of those circular enclosures were farmsteads, a small number had special significance as centres of political power and elite residence, also associated with specialized crafts. One such ‘royal site’ was Garranes in the mid-Cork region of south-west Ireland. In 1937, archaeological excavation of a large trivallate ringfort provided evidence of high-status residence during the fifth and sixth centuries AD. The site had workshops for the production of bronze ornaments, with glass and enamel working as well as indications of farming. Pottery and glass vessels imported from the Mediterranean world and Atlantic France were also discovered. That trade with the Late Roman world is significant to understanding the introduction of Christianity and literacy in southern Ireland at that time.
This monograph presents the results of an interdisciplinary project conducted 2011–18, where archaeological survey and excavation, supported by various specialist studies, examined this historic landscape. Garranes is a special place where archaeology, history and legend combine to uncover a minor royal site of the early medieval period. The central ringfort has been identified as Rath Raithleann, the seat of the petty kingdom of Uí Echach Muman, recalled in bardic poetry of the later medieval period. Those poems attribute its foundation to Corc, a King of Munster in the fifth century AD, and link the site closely to Cian, son-in-law of Brian Bóruma, and one of the heroes of Clontarf (AD 1014). This study provides new evidence to connect the location of Rath Raithleann to high-status occupation at Garranes during the fifth and sixth centuries, and explores its legendary associations in later periods.
Trade Review'This is an important publication that makes a signficant contribution to our understanding not only of this early medieval landscape but also of early medieval studies as a whole.' – Archaeology Ireland, Vol. 35, No. 2 (2021)
'All told, this volume is handsomely published by Archaeopress with excellent figures, and also benefits from being freely accessible as an Open Access publication. Securing a hard copy while it is available, however, is advisable, as this is destined to be an indispensable landmark for the wider field. This truly seminal publication demonstrates the enduring value of long-term, landscape-scale field projects, which one may hope will become a regular feature of the research landscape for early medieval Ireland.' – Patrick Gleeson (2021): Journal of Irish Archaeology
‘This impressive tome combines the results of field research in 1990-92 and 2011-18 with a reappraisal of the earlier work, plus other studies setting the site archaeology in a broader historical and landscape context.’ – Deirdre O’Sullivan (2022): Medieval Settlement Research, Vol. 37
Table of Contents1. Garranes: an Introduction ;
2. The Archaeological Landscape ;
3. Lisnacaheragh ;
4. Lisnamanroe ;
5. Lisheenagreine ;
6. Other Excavations ;
7. Specialist Studies ;
8. Early Medieval Settlement and Economy at Garranes ;
9. Ringforts in the Landscape ;
10. Garranes: a Royal Landscape? ;
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