Ringforts 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 Ui 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 Boruma, 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.
Hogan, Nick: - William O'Brien is Professor of Archaeology in University College Cork, Ireland. His research interests include the Chalcolithic and Bronze Age in Ireland, early mining and metallurgy in Atlantic Europe, upland archaeology, the study of hillforts and monumentality in the later prehistoric period. He has a particular interest in the prehistory of south-west Ireland, where he has conducted numerous research excavations. Nick Hogan is a graduate of National University of Ireland Galway, where he completed a BA degree in Archaeology and a MA in Landscape Archaeology. In 2008, he was appointed Technical Officer for the Department of Archaeology in University College Cork, where he is responsible for teaching and support in the areas of archaeological fieldwork and computing. He is an experienced field archaeologist with a range of skills in excavation, land survey and geophysics.
O'Brien, William: - William O'Brien is Professor of Archaeology in University College Cork, Ireland. His research interests include the Chalcolithic and Bronze Age in Ireland, early mining and metallurgy in Atlantic Europe, upland archaeology, the study of hillforts and monumentality in the later prehistoric period. He has a particular interest in the prehistory of south-west Ireland, where he has conducted numerous research excavations. Nick Hogan is a graduate of National University of Ireland Galway, where he completed a BA degree in Archaeology and a MA in Landscape Archaeology. In 2008, he was appointed Technical Officer for the Department of Archaeology in University College Cork, where he is responsible for teaching and support in the areas of archaeological fieldwork and computing. He is an experienced field archaeologist with a range of skills in excavation, land survey and geophysics.
