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Cherish coastal archaeology
Cherish is a five-year Ireland–Wales project, bringing together four partners across the two nations: the Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Wales, the Discovery Programme, Aberystwyth University’s Department of Geography and Earth Sciences and the Geological Survey of Ireland. It began in January 2017 and will run until December 2021, receiving €4.1 million of EU funding from the Ireland Wales Co-operation Programme 2014–2020. Cherish is a cross-disciplinary project aimed at raising awareness and understanding of the past, present and near-future impacts of climate change, storminess and extreme weather events on the cultural heritage of our sea and coast. The project links land and sea to study some of the most iconic coastal locations in Ireland and Wales by employing a variety of techniques and methods, ranging from terrestrial and aerial laser scanning, geophysical survey and seabed mapping to palaeoenvironmental sampling, excavation and shipwreck monitoring.
The beginning of 2019 saw Cherish geophysical surveys undertaken across Wales and Ireland, carried out both by Cherish staff and by external teams. Initial survey work was undertaken by members of the team from the Discovery Programme at the early medieval motte-and-bailey castle of Glascarrig in Wexford, to investigate the potential for archaeological remains to be buried within its interior. This work was quickly followed by a further survey in Dingle on Ferriter’s promontory fort and castle, and walk-over surveys of the Three Sisters on Ceann Sibeal at Smerwick. A trip to see the wreck of the Sunbeam at Rossbeigh also facilitated a GNSS survey of the site to accurately locate and position the remains of the wreck.
In March similar surveys were carried out at the promontory forts of Castell Bach and Penpleidiau in Wales by SUMO Services on behalf of the project. Results were mixed, with geology playing its part in obscuring results—especially at Penpleidiau, which is situated on an outcrop of igneous rock (a type of rock renowned for affecting magnetic surveys).
In May the Cherish team from Aberystwyth University joined colleagues from the Discovery Programme for nearly two weeks of ‘joint-nation coring’ in Kerry. At Ballinskelligs, the Augustinian priory founded by monks from Skellig Michael in the twelfth century is threatened by coastal erosion; similarly, the sea is encroaching on the nearby McCarthy Mór tower-house. In order to provide long-term context for these changes, the team obtained sediment cores from three sites in the vicinity: the peat bog at Emlagh, a reed-swamp inland from the harbour and exposed peats on the Emlagh foreshore. At Ballyferriter the remains of a fortified settlement are evident on the remarkable narrow promontory bordering Ferriter’s Cove. While part of the team gathered magnetic data from the site, a nearby marsh occupying a shallow channel between the cove and Smerwick Harbour was cored. A core was also obtained from the margin of Lough Gill, a shallow lake bordered by sand-dunes near Castlegregory on the northern side of the Dingle peninsula. The cores are now back in the lab at Aberystwyth, ready for palaeoecological and geochemical analysis, which should provide an insight into past coastal changes, including storm events from traces of wind-blown sand in the peat sediments.
More information on the project, including frequent newsletters, can be read at cherishproject.eu.
Workhouse Museum opening in Portumna
On Saturday 18 May Minister of State Seán Canney TD officially opened the Irish Workhouse Museum at the Irish Workhouse Centre in Portumna, Co. Galway. The museum will now form part of a workhouse tour that they will continue to develop over the coming years.
It is expected that this new museum will greatly assist in telling the story of the Irish workhouse system. The collections work began last year and the museum now features artefacts from different eras of workhouse life and from different workhouses around the country.
Commenting at the launch, the manager, Steve Dolan, explained: ‘We wanted to create a home for the various items we had unearthed, and a simple plan for a few displays developed into a project to collect and research items that related to the story of workhouses in Ireland. In Portumna workhouse alone we have unearthed ceramics, hobnail boots, medicine capsules, pots big and small, a TB Register, and more. And who knows what we will uncover in the future?’
Work is ongoing, as the centre aims to achieve the highest standards, from care of collections to visitor services. The search for artefacts is ongoing, too, with the general public being asked whether they are aware of any items relating to workhouses in their area. Those with any information or artefacts are asked to email the centre at info@irishworkhousecentre.ie.
Archaeology Ireland Autumn 2019
Above: Pictured at the opening of the Irish Workhouse Museum in Portumna are Minister Seán Canney TD, Steve Dolan (General Manager) and Pierce Joyce (Director), surrounded by staff and supporters.
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