Skip to main content

THE PAST IN THE PRESENT Volume 38 No. 3 / Issue No. 149 Autumn 2024 Faith and magic Apotropaic deposits in Roscommon Ordnance Survey of Ireland ‘Fair plans’ and mapping Solar religion Bronze Age circles in Cork THE MUMMIES OF ST MICHAN’S The Military Heath Laois’s military archaeology Volume 38 No. 3 Issue No. 149 FE ATU R E S 14 MORE THAN MAY SOMETIMES MEET THE EYE? Arnold Horner discusses the Ordnance Survey ‘fair plans’ 19 CUP-MARKS IN COUNTY WEXFORD Barry Lacey and Clare Busher O’Sullivan describe a recent discovery at Tombrack 22 22 LOOKING FOR A STONY PLACE Ronan O’Flaherty, Michael Brazzill, James Barry and Kieran Craven discuss the forgotten prehistoric burial mound of the Clorane, Forth Mountain, Co. Wexford 26 ST MICHAN’S CHURCH AND THE ‘CRUSADER’ Emer Purcell discusses the recent vandalism and the history of the church 4 Autumn 2024 www.archaeologyireland.ie 28 THE MERMAID’S ROCKS AT SCURMORE, CO. SLIGO In this contribution to Folklore Focus Tamlyn McHugh considers a popular and widely known legendary creature 30 STONE CIRCLES AND SOLAR RELIGION IN WEST CORK William O’Brien and Nick Hogan present the results of recent excavation of a Bronze Age stone circle and boulderburial 36 THE GREAT MILITARY HEATH Stephen Callaghan brings to light a forgotten aspect of Laois’s military archaeology 39 THE SPIRALS ON TIBRADDEN MOUNTAIN: A CASE OF MISTAKEN IDENTITY William Murphy tracks the solstice sunrise behind the mountains of Ellan Vannin 39 €8.00 £6.75stg ISSN 0790-892x Cover image: Steps leading out of St Michan’s crypt. Photo: Edmond O’Donovan. 48 TRACES conference Details of the programme for the National Monuments Service 2024 conference 52 BOOK REVIEW Duncan Berryman reviews Rethinking medieval Ireland and beyond: lifecycles, landscapes, and settlements— essays in honour of T.B. Barry, edited by Victoria L. McAlister and Linda Shine 26 44 BETWEEN FAITH AND MAGIC Eve Campbell describes apotropaic deposits from postmedieval houses on the N5 in Roscommon

REGULARS 6 News 11 Quote ... unquote 12 News from the Net 13 A note from Hy Brasil 29 Events 55 Book news 58 Museum piece Judith McCarthy tells us about Donegal County Museum and the origin of Oatfield Sweets 30 58 36 CON T R I BUTORS Eoin Bairéad is a computer consultant in Dublin. James Barry, formerly with Rodinia Consulting Ltd, is a surveyor with Tailte Éireann–Surveying. Duncan Berryman is a medieval buildings archaeologist and honorary editor of the newsletter of the Ulster Archaeological Society. Michael Brazzill is a District Roads Engineer with Rosslare Municipal District, Wexford County Council. Stephen Callaghan is an independent historian interested in burial-grounds, churches, barracks, military history, geology and the Paraguayan War. Eve Campbell is a senior archaeologist with Archaeological Management Solutions. Kieran Craven, formerly with Rodinia Consulting Ltd, is Scientific Officer with the Climate Change Advisory Council Secretariat. Nick Hogan is a Senior Technical Officer, Department of Archaeology, University College Cork. Arnold Horner formerly taught Geography at University College Dublin and has written extensively on the history of cartography in Ireland. Audrey Horning is both Professor of Anthropology at the College of William and Mary and Professor of Archaeology at Queen’s University Belfast. Barry Lacey is an archaeologist and supervisor with Irish Archaeological Consultancy (IAC). Judith McCarthy is the Curator of Donegal County Museum. Tamlyn McHugh is an archaeologist with the National Monuments Service. William Murphy is a retired haematologist and was formerly the medical and scientific director of the Irish Blood Transfusion Service. William O’Brien is a Professor of Archaeology, University College Cork. Ronan O’Flaherty is an archaeologist and lead consultant with heritage advisors Crane Bag Consulting. Clare Busher O’Sullivan is an archaeologist whose primary passion is the conservation and management of rock art in Ireland. Emer Purcell is a medieval historian whose research interests include Viking studies, medieval Irish history, and the history and archaeology of medieval Dublin. Autumn 2024 5

Page Text

THE PAST IN THE PRESENT

Volume 38 No. 3 / Issue No. 149

Autumn 2024

Faith and magic Apotropaic deposits in Roscommon

Ordnance Survey of Ireland ‘Fair plans’ and mapping Solar religion Bronze Age circles in Cork

THE MUMMIES OF ST MICHAN’S

The Military Heath Laois’s military archaeology

Volume 38 No. 3 Issue No. 149

FE ATU R E S

14 MORE THAN MAY

SOMETIMES MEET THE EYE? Arnold Horner discusses the Ordnance Survey ‘fair plans’ 19 CUP-MARKS IN COUNTY

WEXFORD Barry Lacey and Clare Busher O’Sullivan describe a recent discovery at Tombrack

22

22 LOOKING FOR A STONY

PLACE Ronan O’Flaherty, Michael Brazzill, James Barry and Kieran Craven discuss the forgotten prehistoric burial mound of the Clorane, Forth Mountain, Co. Wexford 26 ST MICHAN’S CHURCH

AND THE ‘CRUSADER’ Emer Purcell discusses the recent vandalism and the history of the church

4

Autumn 2024

www.archaeologyireland.ie

28 THE MERMAID’S ROCKS

AT SCURMORE, CO. SLIGO In this contribution to Folklore Focus Tamlyn McHugh considers a popular and widely known legendary creature 30 STONE CIRCLES AND

SOLAR RELIGION IN WEST CORK William O’Brien and Nick Hogan present the results of recent excavation of a Bronze Age stone circle and boulderburial 36 THE GREAT MILITARY

HEATH Stephen Callaghan brings to light a forgotten aspect of Laois’s military archaeology 39 THE SPIRALS ON

TIBRADDEN MOUNTAIN: A CASE OF MISTAKEN IDENTITY William Murphy tracks the solstice sunrise behind the mountains of Ellan Vannin

39

€8.00 £6.75stg ISSN 0790-892x

Cover image: Steps leading out of St Michan’s crypt. Photo: Edmond O’Donovan.

48 TRACES conference

Details of the programme for the National Monuments Service 2024 conference 52 BOOK REVIEW

Duncan Berryman reviews Rethinking medieval Ireland and beyond: lifecycles, landscapes, and settlements— essays in honour of T.B. Barry, edited by Victoria L. McAlister and Linda Shine

26

44 BETWEEN FAITH AND

MAGIC Eve Campbell describes apotropaic deposits from postmedieval houses on the N5 in Roscommon

My Bookmarks

Skip to main content