For a BBC movie about Lough Gur, one of the Neolithic houses was reconstructed but already in 1990 was long gone. Nothing reminded of the reconstructed dwelling (Ahrens 1980, 91-92).
At Lough Gur’s visitor centre, South of Limerick, one tells the story of the pre-Celtic settlers of Ireland who farmed and lived this peaceful valley. Over time the lake which dominated the everyday lives of the people became sacred. A gold and bronze spearhead, a shield and countless other objects were thrown into the water as offerings for the gods of the lake. The Visitor Centre houses an audio-visual show, exhibition of artefacts and display panels which interpret the story of man from the Stone Age onward. This story stretches over 5,000 years and continues to the present day people who still farm and dwell this valley.
The visitor centre was built in 1980 and uses two of the excavated Stone Age houses as its floor plan: House sites A, rectangular, and house site C, circular. Its roofs are thatched and wattle hurdle fences surround the building.
It was during the course of excavation work at Lough Gur that John Hunt, Archaeologist and Art Historian, conceived the idea of recreating the crannog or lake-dwelling which is still visible from the Lake shore, and the concept led to the creation of the Craggaunowen ‘The Living Past.
