YES, IT IS DIFFICULT TO PUT A DATE ON THESE CLAPPER
BRIDGES. IN cORK AND ELSEWHERE (INCLUDING ENGLAND) I DO NOT BELIEVE THE DATE OF CONTRUCTION IS KNOWN FOR ANY ONE OF THESE BRIDGES. THEY ALSO HAVE BEEN REPAIRED OVER THE CENTURIES.
THE WORD CLAPPER IS FROM THE LATIN CLAPERIUM, A PILE OF STONES. cLEACA IS AN ANGLO-SAXON WORD FOR ‘BRIDGING THE STEPPING STONES’. THESE WORDS TELL US THAT THESE BRIDGES WERE MOST PROBABLY PRESENT AT THOSE PARTICULAR TIMES WHEN THESE LANGUAGES WERE USED.
THE ONLY CLAPPER BRIDGE IN COUNTY CORK, WHICH HAS A DATE ASSOCIATED WITH IT, IS ONE AT wATERHOUSE, NEAR bALLYBEG, OUTSIDE bUTTEVANT IN nORTH cORK. IT WAS USED BY THE MEDIEVAL MONKS AT BALLYBEG PRIORY. BUT THE DATE COULD BE EARLIER.
IT was ORIGINALLY THOUGHT THAT THEY ARE PREHISTORIC, BUT THIS IS NOT CERTAIN BUT THEY WELL BE FROM A VARIETY OF PERIODS.
Dr. T. Robertson
August 11, 2015
Excellent photographs of impressive bridges. It is hard to make estimates for such bridges but do you know how old they might be?
sootash1
August 11, 2015
YES, IT IS DIFFICULT TO PUT A DATE ON THESE CLAPPER
BRIDGES. IN cORK AND ELSEWHERE (INCLUDING ENGLAND) I DO NOT BELIEVE THE DATE OF CONTRUCTION IS KNOWN FOR ANY ONE OF THESE BRIDGES. THEY ALSO HAVE BEEN REPAIRED OVER THE CENTURIES.
THE WORD CLAPPER IS FROM THE LATIN CLAPERIUM, A PILE OF STONES. cLEACA IS AN ANGLO-SAXON WORD FOR ‘BRIDGING THE STEPPING STONES’. THESE WORDS TELL US THAT THESE BRIDGES WERE MOST PROBABLY PRESENT AT THOSE PARTICULAR TIMES WHEN THESE LANGUAGES WERE USED.
THE ONLY CLAPPER BRIDGE IN COUNTY CORK, WHICH HAS A DATE ASSOCIATED WITH IT, IS ONE AT wATERHOUSE, NEAR bALLYBEG, OUTSIDE bUTTEVANT IN nORTH cORK. IT WAS USED BY THE MEDIEVAL MONKS AT BALLYBEG PRIORY. BUT THE DATE COULD BE EARLIER.
IT was ORIGINALLY THOUGHT THAT THEY ARE PREHISTORIC, BUT THIS IS NOT CERTAIN BUT THEY WELL BE FROM A VARIETY OF PERIODS.