The logboats in the lake: Bronze Age wrecks and Viking-style battleaxes from Ireland

Precisely what happened that 11th-century day on the waters of Lough Corrib is lost in the mists of time, but one thing is certain: it was an ignominious end to what should have been an ostentatious journey. Earlier, a Medieval Irish dignitary had set out across the vast lake – which covers 176km² of what is now Co. Galway – in a finely crafted logboat. Propelled by four rowers, the 6m-long vessel would have skimmed swiftly over the waters. But while the crew had their battleaxes safely stowed beside them, this was no raiding expedition: a number of unusual items had also been placed in the vessel’s hull, including a slab of red sandstone, and a rock rich in fossils; neither object wa