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Issue 247
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IRELAND Celtic Tiger archaeology
I
magine a place where the term ‘million- ABOVE Frosty morning: imagine also that these excavations were fiercely
aire archaeologist’ would not sound looking south on the N9/ regulated to control their quality. This sounds like
N10 motorway project
PHOTO: Headland Archaeology (Ireland) Ltd
ridiculous, and where young archae- an archaeo-utopia: but for a short time it existed.
at Russellstown, County
ology students could look forward to Carlow. This was Ireland’s Celtic Tiger archaeology.
excellent career prospects with salaries Current Archaeology last published a special
equivalent to any other profession. issue on Irish archaeology in September 1970 (CA
Imagine hundreds of excavations up and down 22). The sites reported on then by Andrew Selkirk
the country crying out for help, willing to pay (Knowth, Newgrange, Navan Fort and Ballyglass)
handsomely, even for inexperienced diggers; remained state-of-the-art for the following 30
700
600
500
400
years. The eminent archaeologists interviewed
in that issue, and the sites which they excavated, 300
eventually came to dominate Irish archaeology.
Now, the sheer scale of work undertaken during
GRAPH: National Roads Authority
200
the boom has challenged the accepted wisdom of
many key site types and periods. 100
During the Celtic Tiger prosperity, the world
became aware of the contentious Irish sites that 0
1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010
made international headlines (see box feature on
Rumsfeldian archaeology
The majority of archaeologists in both Britain
and Ireland are employed to work on develop-
ment-led (commercial) projects. Embedding
archaeology in the planning process has been
called ‘Rumsfeldian Archaeology’, because it is
best explained by a somewhat mystifying speech
given by the former US Secretary of State for
Defence, Donald Rumsfeld:
As we know,
There are known knowns.
There are things we know we know.
We also know
There are known unknowns.
That is to say
We know there are some things
We do not know.
But there are also unknown unknowns,
The ones we don’t know
We don’t know.
12 February 2002,
Department of Defence news briefing
Nowhere were these tactics more apparent than during the preferred route was selected from a number of different options, all of
excavations on the M3 as it passed through the Tara-Skryne valley in which attempted to steer clear of known archaeological sites.
Co. Meath. The Hill of Tara is a complex of earthworks dating from the Nevertheless, in such a rich archaeological landscape it was inevitable
Neolithic to the early Medieval period, and according to tradition was that entirely new sites would be unearthed, and when a highly significant
the seat of the High King of Ireland. The distance between the new Iron Age enclosure was discovered at Lismullin, the excavation rekindled
motorway and the exact site of the hill is 2.2 km (1.37 miles), and the debate in the media on the proposed route. The site was seized upon by
pressure groups opposed to development, and the motorway
was widely reported as being built through ‘the hill of Tara.’ The
perception at home and abroad was that Ireland was riding
roughshod over its past, blatantly bulldozing one of its most iconic
monuments. Public opinion was polarised, and commercial field
archaeologists, engaged by the NRA, were caught in the crossfire.
The fiercest critics of Celtic Tiger archaeology object on
principle. Condemning the ‘development at all costs’ agenda, the
Nobel Laureate Seamus Heaney criticised modern day Ireland’s
pursuit of the secular above the sacred. In an interview with
the BBC in March 2008, he said, ‘If ever there was a place that
deserved to be preserved in the name of the dead generations
from pre-historic times up to historic times up to completely
PHOTO: Michael Fox/Knowth.com
more about modern Ireland’s concerns in the present than it does about
preserving the past. Irrespective of the clear protocols for the conduct of
excavations on road schemes, headlines typically depict the impact of
development as a simple choice between preservation and destruction,
rather than a negotiated process of impact assessment and consultation.
FURTHER READING
From ancient
waterways
to modern
highways
Ireland’s
prehistoric
beginnings
PHOTO: Headland Archaeology Ltd.
O
As Ireland’s land-hungry Celtic Tiger economic n a misty morning 8,000 years
boom targeted wetland landscapes once ago, two young women pushed
their way through the head-
thought too boggy for modern development, high reeds of a tidal estuary, 6m
it became clear these sites had been home to below the busy streets of what
is now modern Dublin. As they
vibrant prehistoric communities, settled along stepped onto the shifting mud flats, their baskets,
what would have been ancient thoroughfares. wattle work and fishing ground came into view,
and they could see, even from this distance, that
Brendon Wilkins explains the evidence. it had been a bountiful evening.
They belonged to the period known as the
Mesolithic, and were the first people known to
Dublin
Prumplestown
Granny
have lived in Ireland, between 8000 and 4000 BC microbacterial decay are slowed to a halt. In late ABOVE Pre-excavation
(there is as yet no evidence for Palaeolithic occu- 2004, Melanie McQuade, a Site Director for Mar- shot of the multi-period
Prumplestown Lower site.
pation in Ireland). The majority of artefacts were garet Gowen and Co., excavated just such a site.
The Early Bronze Age pit
organic and perishable, rarely surviving the life- circle is visible at centre.
time of the people who made them. But it is not Mesolithic Fisher-Foragers
just the durability of the artefacts or activities that
take place on a site that determines how much During routine archaeological monitoring
is found. What survives is also a product of the development works at North Wall Quay in Dub-
burial environment, which on some lucky occa- lin’s Docklands, McQuade and her team found
sions can be exceptionally favourable to archaeo- the remarkably preserved remains of seven Late
logical remains: either because it is waterlogged, Mesolithic fish traps dating to between 6100 and
frozen, or so dry that the natural processes of 5700 BC. These are the earliest securely dated
ABOVE A Late Mesolithic fish traps in Ireland or the UK, and are also some channel of the Liffey, or the shore of a tidal island
C-shaped fish trap. of the earliest examples recorded in Europe. Wet within the estuary.
boggy sites adjacent to rivers – known as estua- The fish traps and the pieces of stakes and wattle
ABOVE RIGHT This
section of beautifully rine and alluvial wetlands – provide a wealth scattered across the site were the remains of struc-
preserved wattle weir was of scientific information, but it is the record of tures that operated on the principle of passive
part of a Neolithic fish human presence in these landscapes that makes fishing: fish in the incoming or outgoing tides
trap that had been left on
them special. The fish trap remains illustrate the were caught in traps, and then retrieved at low
the shore’s edge, probably
washed up by the tide. value of this 70m stretch of the Liffey Estuary, tide when the traps were accessible. The system
which was in use over almost three millennia of is separated into weirs of wattle work designed to
Irish prehistory, as well as guide the fish, and traps
the technological skill of designed to catch them.
their makers – and raise Most of the remains from
several points concerning North Wall Quay were
the social implications of parts of ebb weirs, which
trap fishing. caught fish that drifted
At this time in Ire- with the falling tide. Ebb
land, the population was weirs are typically con-
heavily reliant on fish, due structed of large wooden
to the fact that the limited fences (or stone walls) that
native fauna provided little form a V-shape, with a
opportunity for hunting. basket set at the junction
The importance of fishing is shown by the con- to trap the fish.
RIGHT Earrings and blue centration of Mesolithic material recovered from Four of the ebb weir pieces were Late Mesolithic
glass beads discovered at lakeside, riverine and coastal settings, and is also in date. In addition to the ebb weirs, Late Meso-
Prumplestown.
highlighted by the high percentage of fish bone lithic dates were also obtained on a C-shaped fish
BELOW The wedge-cut within assemblages of that period. In contrast to trap and a basket fragment. Evidence for a Middle
pointed end of a Late Britain, the Irish Mesolithic was a fisher-forager Neolithic fish trap was also discovered, which
Mesolithic fish trap. society, rather than one of hunter-gatherers. comprised a beautifully preserved section of a
wattle weir (4.41m by 4.16m), found at the edge of
5 cms
The fishing ground the shore where it had probably been washed up
by the tide. All the remains were so closely dated
The fish traps were buried within estuarine silts, that they could have been used by the same or
4
where most of the remains were preserved in situ successive generations of fishermen.
3
at depths of 4m to 6m below sea level. They were The high level of preservation enabled detailed
2
set to the south of a gravel shoreline about 30m analysis of the wood used in their construction.
1
north of the existing quay wall, which repre- The traps were made almost exclusively of hazel,
sented either the northern bank of the prehistoric with small amounts of birch, ash and fruitwood
changes happening beyond the Irish Mesolithic ABOVE Reconstructions Hearth and home
PHOTOS: Headland Archaeology Ltd
world such as the wave of colonisation that was of how the Neolithic
house at Granny was
sweeping into central Europe from the Balkans In 2004 freelance archaeologist Joanne Hughes
constructed, based on
and Western Asia. As our next site shows – an excavation information. had her suspicions, but it wasn’t until she got
early Neolithic house from the River Suir valley – an excited call from NRA Project Archaeologist
prehistoric waterways again came to the fore. James Eogan – just landed from a reconnaissance
helicopter flight along the route of the N25
Iron Age ring- Waterford Bypass – that she was convinced: the
ditch cemetery faint square outline gradually appearing beneath
her team’s busy trowels was the first Neolithic
house discovered in Co. Kilkenny. It has since
turned out to be one of the best examples so far
unearthed in Ireland.
The Neolithic period in Ireland dates broadly
Wetlands area
with trackways to between 4000 and 2500 BC, and is typified
by a change in stone technology, a reliance on
Cow mandibles found here domesticates, and a transformation in social
attitudes. It was a significant departure from
the Mesolithic life-way. Stable isotopic analysis
of Neolithic human remains indicates a general
shift in this period from marine to a terrestrial
diet, dominated by meat, bread and dairy prod-
Causewayed
Iron Age ring- ucts. Settlements were much more permanent,
ditch housing small farming communities dependent
on a narrow range of intensively managed food
sources.
Neolithic This change is expressed at the early Neolithic
timber circle house site discovered at Granny, Co. Kilkenny, on
the N25 Waterford Bypass. Surrounded by tilled
fields and penned animals, it was an isolated
dwelling on a south-facing slope overlooking the
River Suir, measuring 6.5m by 7m, and dating to
between 3950 and 3715 BC. It had been built by
Early Bronze
constructing a square foundation trench, into
Age pit circle
which postholes had been cut at regular intervals
to hold a substantial timber frame supporting
the roof. High quality stone objects, including
Neolithic chipped flakes and leaf-shaped arrowheads, were
timber circle deposited into some of these postholes, before
the posts were packed in and fastened together.
A lighter wall-cladding of split timber planks was
ABOVE Site plan of features on both then added, with packing stones wedged against
sides of the River Lerr, Prumplestown them in the foundation trench.
Lower and Woodlands West. Oak charcoal was found throughout the foun-
dation trench, suggesting that planks had been
Ireland’s
Invisible People
the Celtic present
meets the Celtic past
Comparing Ireland with the fast growing ‘tiger’ economies of the Far East,
economists coined the term ‘Celtic Tiger’; the irony is that evidence for ‘Celtic’
Ireland is almost as rare as evidence for an indigenous species of Irish tiger. Has
a decade of development‐led excavations altered this picture? Brendon Wilkins
assesses the new evidence emerging for the Irish Iron Age.
R
ising majestically above Dublin’s ABOVE Mid‐excavation name of God,’ he began, ‘and of the dead genera‐
busiest street, the Georgian aerial view of the site at tions from which she receives her old tradition of
Rahally, from the south‐
façade of the General Post Office nationhood, Ireland, through us, summons her
east.
still contains bullet holes – grim children to her flag and strikes for her freedom.’ A
reminders of Easter Monday 1916, line can be drawn between those bullet holes and
when Padraic Pearse read a decla‐ the development and implementation of some of
ration that signalled the start of the Easter Rising the strongest and most enviable national monu‐
and the beginning of Irish Independence. ‘In the ments legislation in the world. !
| Issue 249
IRELAND Iron Age
RIGHT A digital
reconstruction of the
Edercloon block wheel.
Ireland’s earliest wheel alder, and covered with almost 140 clean, crisp finished. The outer curve is not continuous, and
A portion of block wheel discovered at Edercloon marks from a sharp‐bladed tool, most likely an so this wheel, if completed, would not have been
is the earliest evidence for the wheel in Ireland, adze. The opposite side, which lay on the bog able to roll. Was this wheel a manufacturing
radiocarbon dated to 1206‐970 BC. The wheel surface, is worked to a much lesser extent. When mistake, which the community then decided to
was found buried within the base of a large complete, this fragment would have been part reuse as an offering – or as added stability for
trackway, and represents approximately one‐ of a tripartite block wheel, similar to Bronze and the trackway? Or, was this wheel deliberately
third of a complete wheel. Iron Age examples of this type of wheel found in made for deposition in this fashion? It seems
There are two very distinct sides to the Germany, Denmark and the Netherlands. likely that it must have more to do with the
Edercloon block wheel. The side which was What is most curious about the Edercloon enduring tradition of artefact deposition at the
face‐upward when excavated is finely worked block wheel is that it could not have been site than with actual use for transport.
RIGHT Archaeologists
cleaning the outer
enclosure stake‐holes at
Lismullin in preparation
for preliminary drawing.
Saints and
Sinners
religion and conflict in
Medieval Ireland
CREDIT: Archaeological Consultancy Services Ltd
Religion, and religious strife, have defined modern Ireland. New archaeological
evidence is showing that this cultural clash began long ago, with the very
arrival of Christianity. In our final article on Celtic Tiger archaeology,
Brendon Wilkins looks at the physical evidence of this spiritual struggle.
PHOTO: Hawkeye
premature, and illegitimate offspring). Disease
was a factor of everyday life, and many of the
adult burials showed evidence of infections,
ABOVE Excavation of two
such as tuberculosis. A number of the burials also souterrains (subterranean unusual burial practice was also apparent, with
demonstrate the violent nature of Early Medieval structures) in the one male inserted in a former drying kiln, some
Irish life, with two males in particular showing northern area of the distance from the other burials. Unlike the other
Raystown site.
cuts to the bone from a blade. Additional, burials, he was covered with stones, in a north‐
south position, with legs flexed.
RIGHT Interpretive
drawing of the
archaeological features
detected by geophysical
survey of Woodstown.
A warrior’s grave
A Viking grave was discovered about 22m outside the enclosure ditch at
Woodstown 6. Buried beneath just 0.25m of topsoil, it is likely that the grave had
by the Church rather than the mundane objects been disturbed by ploughing, and several large boulders found within the grave
found on secular settlement sites. Though Wood‐ suggest that it may once have been covered by a low stone cairn. Due to the high
stown was, in fact, a substantial, multi‐period site, acidity of the soils, no skeleton was
it is the Viking Age evidence – and the manner in found; however the finds, including a
which it was discovered – which has proved most broken sword, sword fragments, shield
interesting. boss, spearhead, battleaxe, copper‐alloy
During the middle to late 9th century, Viking cloak pin, and a perforated honestone,
ships sailing on the River Suir landed at Wood‐ indicate a burial of relatively high status.
stown, which was then a native Irish settlement. The soils from within the grave were
How these Vikings interacted with the natives hand‐sieved, and thus all the iron shield
may never be fully understood, but they cer‐ rivets were found. The burial was dated
tainly settled on the site and made significant by stylistic comparison to other securely
changes to the existing structures there. In addi‐ dated sites, with the sword hilt placing
tion to the grave of a single Viking warrior, over it between the mid‐9th to mid‐11th
5,000 Viking Age artefacts were recovered from centuries. The Woodstown warrior grave
the topsoil at Woodstown. is the first scientific excavation of a rural
Analysis of the finds shows quite clearly that Viking burial in Ireland since the 1940’s.
trading was an important aspect of Viking life at
Woodstown. In total, 36 pieces of silver – mostly RIGHT AND BELOW Picture and plan
of the Viking Grave at Woodstown.
hacked ingots – and 208 pan lead weights, used
to weigh precious metals, were found in the top‐
soil. This assemblage is the largest such collection
from rural Ireland; the high rate of recovery high‐
lights the importance of systematic scanning
of the site using metal detectors. Other objects
found included iron clench nails, roves (used to
join ship timbers), and a fragment of an Arabic
silver Kufik coin, which reflects the Vikings’
wider trading contacts.
Over 5,000 artefacts (89% from topsoil) found
at Woodstown were recovered after six months’
continuous investigation by a team of five archae‐
ologists using metal detectors. This raises meth‐
IMNAGE: ACS Ltd
Brian Boru was defeated by the King of Lein‐ The 17th century was perhaps the bloodiest
ster and his Viking mercenaries, play a in Ireland’s history, with the Irish Rebel‐
part in its demise? Did these Vikings lion of 1641 descending into an
move upstream and settle in the ethnic conflict between native
present Waterford City? The Irish Catholics and English
political landscape was cer‐ and Scottish Protestant set‐
tainly changing in Ireland, tlers. Carrickmines was
becoming concentrated laid siege on 26 and 27
in the hands of a few March 1642, when Eng‐
regional dynasties. But lish troops under Sir
by 1168, an invasion Simon Harcourt suc‐
force of Norman knights, cessfully stormed the
themselves descended castle – being held at
from Vikings, were about the time by rebel forces.
to land on Ireland’s shores, Neither man, woman
heralding a bloody age of or child was spared the
conquest and rebellion that ensuing slaughter, and the
would continue into living discovery of a mass grave con‐
memory. taining the remains of 15 butch‐
ered skeletons brought this grisly
Beyond the pale past dramatically to life.
Analysed by conflict archaeologist Damian
Carrickmines Castle was an Anglo‐Norman for‐ Shiels and osteoarchaeologist Linda Fibiger, the
tress dating to the 12th century. It was located in ABOVE A selection of team identified two multiple burials containing
the former marshes of south Co. Dublin, near stone, glass, bone, metal, the remains of men, women, and children, aged
and glass artefacts
the foothills of the Dublin and Wicklow moun‐ between 3 and 45 years old. A young male was
recovered at Woodstown.
tains, on the line of the Pale Ditch. The Norman also excavated some 7.5m from the mass grave,
invasion of 1168 brought much of Ireland under buried face down with no indication of care or
the control of the kings of England, but their ceremony. Clear evidence for blade trauma was
influence waned in the 13th century as Norman found on seven individuals and a number of
knights became increasingly assimilated into other disarticulated remains. None of the inju‐
Irish culture. The Pale was the part of Ireland that ries showed signs of healing, indicating that they
was directly under the control of the English gov‐ were sustained at the time of death, likely to be
ernment in the late Middle Ages, and by the 15th the result of sword cuts.
century it had been reduced to a small area along A musket ball was found in close association
the east coast encircling Dublin. with one skeleton, suggesting at least one indi‐
The site was subject to a major excavation vidual was shot; other artefacts found in the
between 2000 and 2002 in advance of the M50 grave provided clues as to the date of the victims’
Dublin Ring Road, directed by Dr Mark Clinton death. Thirteen coins were recovered, with nine
on behalf of Valerie J Keely Ltd. Carrickmines coming from a single find spot, and the others
became a flashpoint for controversy surrounding from close proximity. The coins were of Eng‐
the road construction, as protesters calling BELOW Viking‐type five‐ lish mint, consisting of ten sixpences and three
themselves the ‘Carrickminders’ sought to have lobed sword pommel. shillings. A key was also discovered beneath the
the road re‐routed. Allegations of bribery were right elbow of one of the victims. Was this the
PHOTOS: Richard O’Brian, Archaeological Consultancy Services Ltd
ABOVE The only surviving upstanding wall with window of Carrickmines Castle, Co.
Dublin, which was incorporated into a later post‐medieval structure. This section of the
castle wall has been preserved in situ.
BELOW A section of the revetted fosse at the site of Carrickmines Castle, Co. Dublin,
preserved in situ under the roundabout of the current motorway interchange.