Drone Footage Reveals Sunken Ancient Logboat in Ireland’s River Boyne

A short video clip taken by citizen archaeologist and Ancient Origins’ guest author, Anthony Murphy, flying his drone high above the River Boyne in Ireland has been published in the Irish Times showing an unusual rectangular object sunken into the riverbed. According to Irish Central, the size and shape of the object has led archaeologists to tentatively identify it as a logboat, a type of simple, but sturdy, watercraft made from hollowed-out tree trunks. 

The Long History of Logboats in Ireland

Logboats, also known as dugout boats, were made by hand, with axes that were used to chop out their interiors. In an article published in Independent.ie, Dr. Stephen Davis, a professor from the University College Dublin School of Archaeology and expert on the subject, explained that logboats have “an immensely long history of use in Ireland, with examples known from the Neolithic [all] the way up to medieval times.”