Possible Ancient Longboat Recovered in Ireland

LISACUL, IRELAND—The Irish Independent reports that a 12-year-old boy discovered the remains of a wooden longboat while wading in a lake in north-central Ireland’s County Roscommon. The vessel may have been built as early as the Neolithic period or as late as the Middle Ages. There is one crannóg, or artificial island, in the lake, which may have been connected to a river thousands of years ago. The boy and his family contacted the Underwater Archaeology Unit of Ireland’s Department of Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht after removing the 17- and one-half-foot piece of wood from the water. The officials advised the family members to return the ancient artifact to the water to help preserve it. To read about dating crannogs in Scotland, go to "Worlds Apart."