[Illustration: Fig. 210.--General Plan of the neighbourhood of the Crannog of Annagh. A. Piled Crannog. B. Shallow Spit, usually submerged. C. Spring, or Lough. D. Outlet into Lough Derg.] _Monaincha_ (the island of the bog) is--as stated by W. F. Wakeman--an artificial construction, on which had been subsequently erected a church in the Hiberno-Romanesque style. It is to the present day surrounded by bog. _Lough Nahinch_ (the lake of the island).--In the year 1810 the waters of this lake, situated near Roscrea (at the junction of King’s County and Tipperary), having been lowered four feet by drainage, a considerable portion of the land it once covered (fig. 211, _b b b b b_) was laid bare, and the site of a crannog became apparent. The lake is now much reduced in dimensions, but the surrounding ground being low, its expanse in winter (_a a_) is greater than in summer. Mr. Trench of Cangort Park--although at the time of its discovery unaware of the real nature of the construction--gave the following graphic description of it:--“The bottom (of the lake) consists of blue shelly marl, which seems to extend to a great depth, and when dry it is exceedingly light. In the highest part of this reclaimed land, which is about the middle of the old lake, there is seen a circular part resembling in shape the top of an immense tub, about sixty feet in diameter. The large planks which form the staves are from one to ten feet (?) broad, and six inches thick, quite straight as far as it has yet been possible to trace them downwards; none of them have been raised without cutting them.” There was no appearance of either axe or saw having been used in their formation.[236] [Illustration: Fig. 211.--Map showing former and present summer and winter level of Lough Nahinch.]