Irish Archaeological Research Digital Magazine

Irish 

Archaeological 

Research 

Bringing our local heritage to the world 

Lessons in a Lost Landscape 

In the second of two articles on traditional houses, Rowan McLaughlin discusses 

their symbolic importance, intrinsic value and place in the landscape 

Isabel Bennett highlights a forward-thinking and diverse 'treasure' of a museum in the Dingle Peninsula 

How long have you had your trowel? 

We try and find out why we grow so attached to our most symolic tool. 

Our Diana events Mc Cormack guide tells us the for history Derry of mapping ~ Londonderry Ulster is no exception to City the old of adage Culture that it is in 2013 war 

Excavations, the story so far. 

A series of articles on the excavations of 2011. 

developments 

Ruth Fillery-Travis discusses the benefits of the experimental archaeology conference series 

Digital 

Magazine 

Winter 2012 

Distributed For Free 

Volume 1 No. 2 

Issue No. 2 

‘Here’s to Five more Years’ 

Naomi Carver examines the benefits of the Young Archaeologists’ Club and highlights the importance 

of this outlet for archaeological learning 

Músaem Chorca Dhuibhne, Baile an Fheirtéaraigh (Ballyferriter) 

Plantation: Mapping the North 

that we make our greatest advancements 

The Experimental Archaeology Conference, past history and recent

www.IrishArchaeologicalResearch.com 

IAR Digital Magazine Issue 2 February 2012 

© Irish Archaeological Research 2012 

This magazine is free

1 

Welcome 

3 

Contents 

‘Here’s to Five more Years’ 

Naomi Carver examines the benefits of the Young 

Archaeologists' Club and highlights the importance of 

this outlet for archaeological learning 

6 

Músaem Chorca Dhuibhne, Baile an Fheirtéaraigh 

(Ballyferriter) 

Isabel Bennett highlights a forward-thinking and diverse 

'treasure' of a museum in the Dingle Peninsula 

10 

Plantation: Mapping the North 

Diana Mc Cormack tells us the history of mapping Ulster 

is no exception to the old adage that it is in war that 

we make our greatest advancements 

16 

Too cool for school, Not! 

Christina O'Regan, Fieldwork and Education Director of 

IAR, describes how engaging in archaeological 

activities helps children learn about their past 

19 

Forestry and Archaeology 

Malcolm Beatty, Chief Executive of the Northern 

Ireland Forest Service, talks about the association 

between our Forests and Archaeology 

29 

A Good Night, Night at the Museum 

Clare Ablett describes what goes on at the Ulster Museum 

behind closed doors 

31 


In the second of two articles on traditional houses, Dr Rowan 

McLaughlin discusses their symbolic importance, intrinsic 

value and place in the landscape 

35 

The Games People Play 

Ross Bailey takes a look at ancient board games and 

discovers that the same rules still apply 

39 

The Experimental Archaeology Conference, past history and 

recent developments 

Ruth Fillery-Travis discusses the benefits of the experimental 

archaeology conference series 

41 

Altered Images: 3D technologies in a 2D archaeological 

world 

Gavin Donaghy looks in his front room and finds the future of 

archaeological illustration 

44 

Lottery boost for Belfast Hills Partnership An update on the 

Belfast Hills Partnership Project

Irish Archaeological Research Issue 2 Feb 2012 

This is the second edition of our magazine, we hope you enjoy reading it. Please contact us via 

facebook or email if you have any queries or comments regarding the magazine or any of the 

articles. 

The first issue of the magazine released in October 2011 was very well received with over 9880 

downloads of the magazine from 40 countries across the world, the top five countries being UK, 

Ireland, USA, France, Germany, Italy and Australia—on top of that 6800 people viewed the 

magazine on their browser and 3080 downloaded it to their portable devise. 

We would like to say thank you to all of you who read the first magazine, and we hope you 

enjoy this issue even more, also a very big thank you to our contributors for taking the time 

to write the great articles in this issue. 

Contributors 

Naomi Carver, Center for Archaeological Fieldworks, Queens University, Belfast 

Isabel Bennett, Músaem Chorca Dhuibhne, West Kerry 

Diana McCormack, Archaeological Conservator 

Christina O’Regan, IAR Education and Fieldwork Director 

Malcolm Beatty, Chief Executive of the Forestry Service 

Clare Ablett, Ulster Museum, Belfast 

Dr. Rowan McLaughlin, Queens University, Belfast 

Ross Bailey, IAR Experimental Director 

Ruth Fillery‐Travis, University College London 

Gavin Donaghy, IAR Technical Director 

Editor: Christina O’Regan 

Layout & design: Lianne Heaney 

1

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you. We are looking for news items and articles about archaeology, history, heritage and culture. 

Is there a subject here that interests you? You do not have to be an expert; just have a good 

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As the magazine is digital it can reach a large worldwide audience with more ease than a 

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The top 5 countries many of these visitors come from are UK, Ireland, USA, Italy and Australia. 

The size of the article depends on your subject, generally 200‐500 words and it can include as 

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Submit your article to: 

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Irish Archaeological Research Issue 2 Jan 2012 

2


Here’s to five more years! 

Naomi Carver examines the benefits of the Young Archaeologists' Club and 

highlights the importance of this outlet for archaeological learning. 

The Belfast Branch of the Young Archaeologists’ Club celebrated its fifth birthday in June 2011. The club now has 

nearly 70 registered members between the ages of 8 and 16, with an average of 40 attending regularly. The children 

enjoy being able to explore the past as well as making new friends. 

The Young Archaeologists' Club (YAC) is a UK‐wide organisation for young people up to the age of seventeen who 

have, or want to, develop an interest in archaeology, history and their heritage. The YAC has its roots in 1972 when 

Kate Pretty and Mike Corbishley set up an archaeology club in England known as the ‘Young Rescue’. The club 

became so popular it outgrew its humble beginnings and was soon passed to the Council for British Archaeology 

(CBA) for safekeeping. The CBA administers, and supports, the network of local YAC Branches run by volunteer 

leaders from all walks of life. The aim of the organisation is to promote participation in archaeological research, 

education and the conservation of the built, buried, landscape and townscape heritage. The YAC provides an 

opportunity for young people to share in this experience and to discover just how much fun it can be to learn about 

the past. The club takes two forms: YAC UK which is a magazine‐based subscription package for young people up 

to the age of 17, and the YAC Branch network which comprises local YAC branches of which there are around 70 

spread throughout the UK. Most branches meet once a month and are run by teams of volunteers. The Belfast YAC 

Branch is one of two branches of the Young Archaeologists' Club in Northern Ireland; the second is based in Down 

County Museum, Downpatrick, Co. Down. 

The Belfast Branch at Queen’s was launched on 

17 th June 2006 and is run by a team of staff and 

students from the School of Geography, 

Archaeology and Palaeoecology, Queen’s 

University Belfast, as well as outside 

volunteers. The club’s first session was a taster 

session held at Queen’s University which was a 

great success and was soon followed by a 

family field‐walking venture in Comber, County 

Down. The children and their parents had lots 

of fun, collecting and identifying hundreds of 

pieces of flint dating from the Mesolithic and 

Neolithic. 

3 

Belfast YAC members with Dr. Emily Murray of Queens University

Activities 

The club has flourished in the five years since its launch. One of its main 

strengths is that, as the club is university‐based, it can draw upon a range 

of expertise in diverse subject areas, as well as having access to the 

university’s facilities. In the last year the club has also forged links with 

the Ulster Museum and several sessions have been held at the museum 

under the leadership of their Education Officer Fiona Baird. 

The Belfast YAC meets once a month at the state‐of‐the‐art 

Archaeology and Palaeoecology building at Queen’s University for 

sessions on a wide range of topics, exploring not only archaeology but 

also history, geography, geology, palaeoecology and anthropology. A 

few of the best meetings have been on prehistoric pottery‐making and a 

celebration of the Mexican Days of the Dead, which we hope to repeat next year. More recently the club’s members 

have learnt about the ancient temples of Malta and visited the Ulster Museum to learn about the Spanish Armada 

and ‘body modification’ through the ages. As well as in‐house sessions we also head out on fieldtrips. The Giant’s 

Ring, Belfast, Navan Fort, Co. Armagh, Carrickfergus Castle, Co. Antrim, Newgrange, Co. Meath and Audleystown 

tower‐house, Co. Down are among those which have been enjoyed through the years, as well as some spooky 

Halloween visits to Friar’s Bush and Clifton Street cemeteries. 

Belfast YAC plans for 2012 

The Belfast Branch has an exciting schedule lined up for the next six months. The January session will focus on the 

Vikings, while in February Professor Audrey Horning (QUB) will be exploring the history and material culture of 

Virginia Indians in a quest to find out the real story of Pocahontas. This will be followed in March with a session on 

Bronze Age fibulae led by Dr Dirk Brandherm (QUB). In April the club will host a special session to commemorate 

the 100 th Anniversary of the sinking of the Titanic, while in May there will be a fieldtrip to Lisburn Castle Gardens, 

the importance of which was first uncovered during excavations led by Ruairí Ó Baoill in 2003, and which has since 

been restored to its former glory. The final session planned for the next six months is on the Belfast Blitz in June 

2012. 


Above, Right & Left: 

Belfast YAC members 

displaying the masks 

they created during one 

of their meetings. 

4


Forging Friendships 

The growing interest in the Young Archaeologists’ Club 

and the fact that, in Northern Ireland at least, young 

people are prepared to travel long distances to attend, 

highlights a strong desire to learn about the past. 

However, Belfast YAC is also a social occasion for the 

young people who attend. Many friendships have been 

forged through a shared love and interest in the past and 

some of the original members have now become official 

Helpers or Assistant Leaders, some of whom have also 

gone on to study archaeology at university. 

An Uncertain Future? 

The CBA, like many other organisations and charities, is 

being faced with a reduction in its income due to a 

withdrawal of public funding with the result that the YAC 

is now facing an uncertain future. Without the vital 

support from YAC HQ many of the regional branches may 

be forced to close down. To enable the fantastic range of opportunities Branches offer young people to continue, 

the CBA have launched a ‘Dig Deep for YAC’ campaign. To find out how you can support this vitally important work 

please visit the ‘Dig Deep for YAC’ campaign pages at www.yac‐uk.org/yaccampaign or find its page on Facebook: 

www.facebook.com/#!/digdeepforyac. Although there are only two YAC Branches in Northern Ireland, the focus 

now must be on preserving and supporting these existing clubs and the Belfast YAC welcomes new ideas for 

fundraising. 

Further Information 

The Belfast Branch meets on the second Saturday of each month (excluding July). New members and volunteers 

are welcome ‐ for more information please visit the club’s website: www.qub.ac.uk/sites/byac or contact Branch 

Leader Naomi Carver via email (belfastyac@qub.ac.uk) or telephone (+44(0) 28 9097 3728). 

For information about joining YAC UK please visit: www.britarch.ac.uk/yac 

5

Músaem Chorca Dhuibhne, 

Baile an Fheirtéaraigh 

(Ballyferriter) 

Isabel Bennett highlights a forward‐thinking and diverse 'treasure' of a 

museum in the Dingle Peninsula. 

Is i nGaeltacht Chorca Dhuibhne atá Músaem Chorca Dhuibhne lonnaithe – 13 km siar ón nDaingean i gCo. Chiarraí. 

Ceantar saibhir ó thaobh na seandálaíochta is ea é– leis na mílte séadcomharthaí chomh maith leis na tránna, 

sléibhte, ceol agus caitheamh aimsire. Bíonn na múrtha fáilte roimis fhoghlaimeoirí Gaeilge i gcónaí. Bain triail as! 

Músaem Chorca Dhuibhne, Baile an Fheirtéaraigh. 

Músaem Chorca Dhuibhne, situated in the village of Baile an Fheirtéaraigh (Ballyferriter) in the West Kerry 

Gaeltacht (Irish‐speaking area), lies about 13km (8 miles) west of the town of Dingle. This small museum is 

operated by a local development co‐operative, and was opened in 1986, initially as a Heritage Centre. It is 

situated in the old school building in the village, and has a small but pertinent display relating to various aspects 

of the heritage of the area, with a particular emphasis on archaeology. The exhibition panels are bilingual, but 

the exhibition text is also available in French, German, Polish, Spanish and Norwegian. We are open during the 

Easter holiday period and 7 days a week during the summer season (June to September), otherwise by 

appointment. 


6


Some of the artefacts on 

display are on loan from the 

National Museum of Ire‐ 

land, and include items 

from the Riasc excavations, 

and from the promontory 

fort/siege site of Dún an Óir, 

both sites being quite close 

to the village. There are 

also 6 ogham stones on 

display (the Dingle Pen‐ 

insula having a great den‐ 

sity of these monu‐ 

ments), and several cross‐ 

inscribed stones. 

Our most eye‐catching 

Inside the museum 

artefact, however, is proba‐ 

bly a soup pot, or ‘Boiler’, which was used in this area during the period of the Great Famine – its size, and signifi‐ 

cance, never ceases to amaze visitors of all ages. 

The archive of the Archaeological Survey of the Dingle Peninsula, which was carried out in the early 1980s, is also 

available for consultation in the museum, by appointment, and consists of individual detailed files on all of the 

sites described in the publication and more, as well as slides and black and white images, ordnance survey maps, 

original site plans and other materials. From time to time travelling exhibitions are hosted in the museum, to add 

to the permanent display, and for 2012 we will have a new exhibition, departing considerably in subject matter 

from the current permanent display, about Whales and Dolphins around the coast of Corca Dhuibhne (i.e. the 

Dingle Peninsula). 

During the winter months, the café space is in constant use, as this part of the museum doubles as a community 

centre, where music, cooking, Irish language and other classes are held, book clubs come together, meetings 

and other events take place – it is probably busier in the wintertime than in the summer! 

7 

The ‘Boiler’ 

Although small in size and limited in budget, we feel we 

have achieved much and are always open to new ideas. 

Some of the more recent initiatives, including the 

translation of our web site, www.westkerrymuseum.com, 

into several continental languages, the development of 

brochures illustrating pleasant loop walks nearby, and also 

worksheets for children, have taken place with grant as‐ 

sistance from the Heritage Council and from the De‐ 

partment of Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht. During 2012 

we will launch a Sculpture Trail, ‘Conair Dealbhadóireachta 

Iarthar Dhuibhneach’, highlighting the locations of art 

works, both modern and some more ancient, to be 

found in Dingle town and the area west of it.

We also are always delighted to welcome new friends to our Facebook pages, ‘Dingle Peninsula Museum’ 

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Dingle‐Peninsula‐Museum/183075821733699 and ‘Músaem Chorca Dhuibhne’ 

http://www.facebook.com/DinglePeninsulaMuseum#!/DinglePeninsulaMuseum (which has more of its content in 

the Irish language). 

The museum benefited hugely through its participation in the Pilot Study run by the Heritage Council prior to the 

setting up of the Museum Standards Programme for Ireland, http://www.heritagecouncil.ie/museums‐archive/ 

heritage‐council‐initiatives/museums‐and‐standards‐programme/, in which it was awarded Interim Accreditation 

in 2008 and is now working to achieve Full Accreditation. 

The curator, Isabel Bennett, is an archaeologist by training, who came to the area initially to work on the 

Archaeological Survey of the area. She is delighted to assist visitors with queries they might have in relation to 

nearby archaeological sites, and there is no denying that the Dingle Peninsula is one of the richest areas that one 

could visit should one wish to spend time seeking out monuments. 

The Riasc pillar stone 


8


The museum is at its busiest during the summer, tourist season, and works in conjunction with its parent 

body, Oidhreacht Chorca Dhuibhne, www.oidhreacht.ie, to provide appropriate events for the many adults 

who come to the area to improve their knowledge of the Irish language, including tours to archaeological 

sites in the area led by the curator. The museum bookshop stocks material relating to the culture of the 

area, but also many publications which might be beneficial to those with an interest in the Irish language, 

and there is also a small café with home baking. 

Cill Mhaoilchéadair (Kilmalkedar) 

We think we have a little treasure chest in our museum, and are always delighted 

to welcome new visitors. 

Further details of opening times, or any other queries you may have, can be obtained from the curator at 

info@westkerrymuseum.com, or by ringing +353 (0)66 91 56 333. 

We can be contacted by post by writing to: 

Músaem Chorca Dhuibhne, 

Baile an Fheirtéaraigh, 

Trá Lí, 

Co. Chiarraí. 

9 

Cill Mhaoilchéadair (Kilmalkedar) 

info@westkerrymuseum.com 

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Dingle-Peninsula-Museum/183075821733699 

http://www.facebook.com/DinglePeninsulaMuseum#!/DinglePeninsulaMuseum 

Background image: An Baile Riabhach – Teampall Mhanacháin

Plantation: mapping the north 

By Diana McCormack 

The history of mapping Ulster is no exception to the old adage that it is 

in war that we make our greatest advancements. 

When Hugh O’Neill finally laid down his arms in 1603, days after Elizabeth I passed away, the plans 

were laid for the Plantation of Ulster according to the new king, James I. Colonisation by English 

and Scottish Protestants officially began around 1609, just as the colony at Virginia was also being 

settled in the New World. But in order to reapportion the lands taken from the native Irish, James 

needed to know what lands he had in his possession. 

Figure 1: Goghe map 1567 


10


Figure 2: Bartlett’s Ulster map 1603 

Up to this point the best maps of Ulster produced were small-scale affairs, offering only general 

territorial boundaries and indications of the major topographical features. This was in stark contrast 

to Britain, where Christopher Saxton’s famous county atlas of England and Wales had been printed 

decades previously, in the 1570s. The maps that existed of Ireland in the same period [Figure 1] are 

barely recognisable in comparison, but the most inaccurate portion of the Irish maps was always 

that part showing Ulster; far beyond the Pale and hostile to the English. 

Despite the advent of triangulation in the 16 th century, very little by way of actual ground survey 

seems to have taken place, due in part to the remote nature of much of the province. Many 

surveys of Ireland were composites or pastiches of earlier works, and in many cases it is plainly 

obvious that not all the existing maps were available to those attempting to produce new and 

more accurate ones. About 1603, a general map of Ulster was completed by Richard Bartlett, who 

was certainly among the more talented of the Elizabethan map-makers [Figure 2]. His map of Ulster 

is among the first to divide Lough Erne into two main bodies, for example, instead of the large 

misshapen form seen in Goghe’s map above. 

11

Figure 3: Bodley map 

Bartlett was a lieutenant serving under Lord Mountjoy, who had distinguished himself as a capable 

cartographer – a rare thing indeed. Bartlett provides a measure of the situation at the time; a 

talented cartographer who was discovered among the soldiery and put to work. No cartographers 

of the day were volunteering to confront the difficult working conditions of Ireland, and many reports 

agree on the general shortage of competent map-makers at the time. The fact that this shortage 

was due in part to the hostility of the land is reinforced by the manner in which Bartlett met his end, 

when, on a survey of Donegal, he was beheaded by the locals in an act of defiance to the new 

king. 

Sir Josias Bodley led the survey of Ulster for James I; Bodley was a military engineer who had 

served in the war against the O’Neill. He produced a collection of maps c.1609, intended to be a 

more accurate and comprehensive survey of the escheated counties than anything that had gone 

before, thus delivering to the king the true value of lands forfeited to the crown by the rebellious 

natives. The surviving maps cover counties Fermanagh, Tyrone, Armagh and Cavan, with parts of 

Londonderry and Louth. Previous surveys had underestimated the acreage of these lands by up to 

two-thirds, so Bodley must have won the king’s favour when he delivered his results. 

The Bodley maps were produced by a team of six ‘surveyors’, who, rather than doing any physical 

topographical survey, conducted a guided walk-over of all the forfeited lands and produced written 

descriptions of all the necessary information. As his guides were local people, many of the place 

names recorded were in Gaelic form and in some areas cannot be easily identified with modern 

equivalents. This was then used to draw a plot of townlands and land-use, with barony boundaries 

and rivers, but omitting unproductive land such as mountains and bogs, and lands not forfeit or 

belonging to the church [Figure 3]. 

An inevitable consequence of the surveying method was that directional information was given in 

relative terms rather than compass points, meaning that in some cases the maps were drawn in 

mirror-image to the true lie of the land; in the past this has been dismissed as a printer’s error, but 

this would be impossible given the need to annotate the maps after printing when the mistake 

would surely have been discovered. It would be interesting to know if this mistake, where it occurred 

at several points across the survey, was linked with the same member of the survey team, 

but this is not recorded. 

12


The inconsistencies in the survey, including non-committal boundaries that do not match from map 

to map, is most likely a product of the use of six different surveyors with no fixed conventions of 

measurement. 

In county Londonderry the plantation was underpinned by funds from the Irish Society, consisting of 

companies from the City of London. These companies commissioned their own survey of the lands 

allotted to them, along with suggested improvements and fortifications that could be made therein; 

for this task they appointed Sir Thomas Raven. Raven’s maps were completed around 1625, the 

same year that Charles I succeeded to the throne. These maps of Londonderry bring us down to 

small-town scale, detailing individual buildings, water mills, roads and style of typical native 

dwellings. This level of detail was possible because of the smaller area of ground to be covered in 

his survey [Figure 4]. 

The 1641 rebellion led to the massacre of many of the settled planters, and the province once 

again saw years of war following this, as civil war also broke out in England. Oliver Cromwell finally 

defeated the rebel forces in Ireland with the New Model Army, resulting in a further redistribution of 

lands. From this point, there were no remaining Irish Catholic landowners in Ulster. In addition, 

Cromwell came to favour those who supported Parliamentary forces above the king, and began to 

marginalise the Scottish Presbyterian population. 

Figure 4: Raven company map with town detail 

13


U n d e r C r o m w e l l ’ s 

Protectorate it was 

William Petty (later 

co-founder of the Royal 

Society) who undertook 

the attempt to survey the 

confiscated land, this 

time with greater success. 

Petty’s Downe Survey, as 

it became known, both 

mapped and set down 

written descriptions of the 

counties at a parish and 

b a r o n y l e v e l , o f 

Fermanagh, Armagh, 

Donegal, Cavan, Tyrone 

a n d p a r t s o f 

Londonderry. In fact, 

even Petty’s survey came 

in at just under 10% short 

of the true acreage, but 

this was still a significant 

i m p r o v e m e n t o n 

anything that had gone 

before. The majority of 

the boundaries mapped 

by Petty can still be 

traced today, even at a 

townland level. Unlike 

the Bodley survey, the 

coastline and major 

rivers were not ignored 

as barony boundaries, 

and these were made 

Figure 5: Petty map of Ireland 

as accurate as possible. 

This gave a degree of control over the accuracy of all the units within these frames, and resulted in 

a much more satisfactory outline, that could be used and added to with confidence by future 

cartographers. Petty obviously had plans for a more extensive survey in mind as he set about this 

one, and some years later he unveiled Hiberniae delineatio. This was a collection of county maps 

of Ireland; although it was not printed until 1685, the majority of this book of maps is thought to have 

been completed c.1666. The single-sheet map of Ireland, while containing much less detail than 

his larger-scale maps, can be compared with the Goghe map above to demonstrate the 

improvement in the outline that Petty achieved. Between these two maps is approximately a 

century; these improvements, filling in the map of Ireland, and especially Ulster, were born out of the 

constant military presence and the political and economic need created during the conflicts (Figure 

5). 

All the maps discussed in the text are available for consultation, in one form or another, at the Public Records 

Office of Northern Ireland, in Belfast. Copies of some maps are also available from the National Archives, both 

in London and Dublin. 

14

Irish Archaeological Research is a member supported social enterprise. Our aim is to bring 

information about your local heritage to a wider audience. We have started a membership 

scheme to help fund our projects and with membership for one year just £12.50 you can help 

support the following: 

�� The Publication of a free Digital Magazine about Heritage, History and Archaeology 

�� Updating and maintaining our websites 

�� Publishing an annual Journal 

�� Arranging archaeological events such as excavations, conferences, lectures and 

experimental archaeology days 

As part of your membership you will receive: 

�� A welcome pack 

�� An automatic subscription to our digital magazine 

�� Free Digital copy of our yearly Journal 

�� A 20% discount on all hard copies of our publications 

�� A yearly newsletter 

�� Notification of all of our events and free attendance to them 

If you would like to become a member visit our membership page on our website at: 

www.IrishArchaeologicalResearch.com 

Your support will help us introduce our rich cultural 

heritage to the world

Too cool for 

When Irish Archaeology 

Research was established, the 

most important element of our 

ethos was the communication 

of archaeology to the general 

public, and in particular the 

younger generation, so that 

they may develop an 

appreciation for the rich 

heritage that surrounds them. 

As archaeology is becoming 

more integrated into the 

secondary level school 

school, not! 

Christina O'Regan, Fieldwork and Education Director of IAR, 

describes how engaging in archaeological activities helps 

children learn about their past. 


curriculum, organising archaeology workshops, delivered in a school environment, is the ideal way of initiating 

hundreds of young people into this exciting subject. There are several, if not dozens, of groups all over the UK 

that bring an extra dimension to learning through specifically designed workshops and activities. These 

workshops can aid literacy, numeracy and communication skills as well as making education more enjoyable. 

Unfortunately, there is a deficit of these groups in the Republic, and indeed in Northern Ireland, though the 

Young Archaeology Club (YAC) does provide an outlet for interested youths in Belfast and Downpatrick. 

I had been contacted by friends working in education to see if there was a way of bringing archaeology into their 

schools. Using the techniques adopted by those UK‐based groups, we devised our own series of activities and 

events that can be adapted for each age group. 

Students at St. Aidans analyse some Post‐medieval bottles and pottery 

Our first foray into school workshops was in November 2011 when we were contacted by the librarian at Plunkett 

College, Dublin. This school is one of approximately 30 in the Republic which participates in the Junior Certificate 

16


Schools Programme (JCSP) and the workshops were delivered in the library. JCSP libraries are exciting and 

dynamic learning spaces specifically aimed at underachieving and disadvantaged teenagers. Each library hosts 

events and activities aimed at improving literacy levels and enhancing the learning experience of JCSP students. 

We delivered three hour‐long workshops which were attended by students from all years. The workshops 

consisted of a short presentation about archaeology and the history of Ireland followed by two practical 

activities; a show‐and‐tell of genuine and replica artefacts and a demonstration of replica hunter‐gatherer animal 

traps, Bronze Age arrows, the many uses of flint and learning how to play Brandubh, a chess‐like boardgame 

believed to have it's origins in Viking Scandinavia. 

Describing stratigraphy while students listen, attentively 

The day was highly successful with several of the students staying behind to ask more questions about the 

artefacts and about archaeology in general. We also learned valuable lessons concerning numbers of students 

per workshop: 35 students firing off questions simultaneously is too many! 

On the back of the work at Plunkett College, in December we were invited to another JCSP school, St Aidan's in 

Tallaght, Dublin, for two full days of workshops. These workshops were directed at junior cycle students with 

the first day consisting of only 1 st year students. The format was as for the previous school with the addition of 

quizzes based on the presentation. These quizzes were aimed at getting the students to interact with each 

other by discussing chronology and typology and indeed, promoted some serious debate as to which was older, 

Navan Fort or Newgrange. The quizzes also showed us if we were clear in our communication of the 

archaeological timeline. The workshops were, again, very successful with the librarian choosing the school's 

word of the day as 'Stratigraphy'! As some of the students had already been learning about archaeology we 

were able to go into much more detail about specific elements such as radiocarbon dating and diet. 

17

We are in the first few weeks of 2012 and already IAR has been booked by four schools in Wexford and 

Waterford with further schools in Dublin and Meath expressing a strong interest. While the workshops have, so 

far, been held in JCSP libraries, we hope that more mainstream schools on both sides of the border will use our 

services as a fun and interactive means of complementing the curriculum. 

Note: All genuine artefacts have been donated, with owner's permission, to IAR through Northern 

Archaeological Consultancy. 

Attention Teachers/ Group leaders: 


Replica traps, boardgames and arrows ready for action 

Would your kids be interested in talking with archaeologists, learning how they investigate 

the past and learning about our ancestors from the Prehistoric periods right up to the 

Post‐Medieval? 

Would they like to handle archaeological artefacts found in excavations from Ireland and 

participate in archaeology themed practicals? 

If the answer is YES we can provide archaeology based workshops to suit each age group in a 

way that will excite and educate. 

For further information contact Christina at: 

christinaoregan@irisharchaeologicalresearch.com 

18


FORESTRY AND ARCHAEOLOGY 

Malcolm Beatty, Chief Executive of the Northern Ireland Forest Service, talks about 

the association between our Forests and Archaeology 

Northern Ireland is sparsely covered by forest and, 

perhaps at first impression, there is little 

connection between the subjects. In fact, the 

opposite is true. Much of the present forest is on 

land that was converted from settled agricultural 

use. That process is continuing, and foresters 

need to understand the significance of 

archaeological remains, how best to protect them, 

and how they should be interpreted for the benefit 

of visitors. After planting, the infrequent nature of 

forest interventions and the seclusion of forest 

sites tends to provide good protection for sites but, 

as trees mature and plans for harvesting and forest 

regeneration take shape, once again there is a 

need to understand the archaeology and how to 

conserve the sites. 

Estimates of the extent of forest vary, from 6.5% of 

land area (Forest Service, 2011) to 10.1% in the NI 

Countryside Survey 2007 (NIEA, 2008), reflecting 

differences in definition of forest and methods of 

survey. The Woodland Trust identified only 0.04% 

land cover as “ancient” woodland (Woodland Trust, 

2011), by which they mean areas that have been 

wooded since at least 1600. Much of the 

remainder has been planted after 1918 (Kilpatrick, 

1987). The policy intentions driving new planting 

have changed outcomes reflect the intentions in 

terms of species choice and forest location. 

Kirkpatrick (1987) argues that forests were cleared 

19 

as a response to agriculture development, land 

reform and, finally, to meet wartime needs during 

1914-18 and 1939-45. 

After 1918 the policy was to create a strategic 

reserve of timber and reduce our dependence on 

supply from outside the UK. The 1953 Forestry 

Act emphasised the economic nature of plantation 

forests. The Forestry Act (Northern Ireland) 2010 

took greater account of the environmental and 

social context in which modern forest policy 

operates and how the countryside is used. 

Today, the Department of Agriculture and Rural 

Development has a general duty to promote 

afforestation and sustainable forestry in such a 

way as to promote and encourage the enjoyment 

and recreational use of the Department’s forestry 

land, and to promote the social benefits of forests. 

It discharges this duty through the activities of the 

Forest Service. 

Archaeological issues are recognised in the 

standards that guide forest owners and managers, 

and are used by Forest Service officials 

administering DARD forests, in grant aid to plant 

new private forests, and regulation of felling. For 

example, the UK Forestry Standard requires forest 

managers to be aware of archaeological and other 

features that should be especially protected during 

forest operations (Forestry Commission, 2011).

A practical outworking of this is in the current review 

of the Forest Service plans for the Department’s 

forests from Coleraine to Antrim and Larne, where 

foresters are informed about the presence, or 

suspected presence, of 100 features in the forests, 

and the degree of protection given to these sites 

through scheduling under the relevant DOE orders. 

The information available to the Forest Service is 

sometimes very limited, such as a souterrain 

reported simply as being within Randalstown Forest. 

Sometimes precise locations are known, such as a 

site where wooden stake enclosures were found in 

a bog in Clare Forest. 

The planning review process is a formal one where 

the Forest Service invites comments on the 

management proposals, and takes account of 

issues raised through consultation. There are 

possibly two interests for archaeologists. One is to 

make sure that the Forest Service is properly 

informed about sites that need to be protected. The 

second might be to assist in interpreting these sites 

for forest users, to promote and encourage 

enjoyment and recreational use of that land by the 

public. As an example, a partnership approach with 

Fermanagh District Council allowed the expansion 

of the Marble Arch Caves Global Geo-park to 

include the forests of west Fermanagh. 

These forests include many significant 

archaeological features, and walking trails with 

associated interpretation were developed within the 

Geo-park area. We know from academic research 

(Scarpa et al., 2000) that forest visitors place 

additional value on the presence of interesting 

features, such as a nature reserve. 

The challenge is to create a similar awareness and 

value for archaeology, ranking alongside the 

geology, history, folklore, wildlife and learning that is 

an integral part of the Geo-park product. 


The Forest Service values the interest of 

Research Archaeologists in understanding and 

interpreting the assets in our care. We can assist 

academic studies by providing controlled access 

to sites, and by providing opportunities to 

communicate learning to forest users. 

References & Further Reading 

Forest Service. Annual Report and Accounts (2011) 

http://www.dardni.gov.uk/forestservice/annual_report_2010- 

11.pdf (accessed 21 December 2011). 

Forestry Commission. UKFS Guidelines on Forests and the 

Historic Environment (2011) 

http://www.forestry.gov.uk/forestry/INFD-8BVF2G 

Kilpatrick C. Northern Ireland Forest Service: A History (1987) 

http://www.dardni.gov.uk/forestservice/fs-history-by-cskilpatrick.pdf 

NIEA. Northern Ireland Countryside Survey 2007: Broad Habitat 

Change 1998-2007 (2008) 

h t t p : / / w w w . d o e n i . g o v . u k / n i e a / 

nics2007_broad_habitat_change_1998-2007_amended.pdf 

(accessed 21 December, 2011). 

Scarpa R, Chilton SM, Hutchinson WG, Buongiorno J. Valuing 

the recreational benefits from the creation of nature reserves in 

Irish forests. Ecological Economics (2000) 33:237-250. 

Woodland Trust. Back on the Map, the inventory of ancient and 

long-established woodland in Northern Ireland (2011) 

http://www.backonthemap.org.uk/ (accessed 21 December, 

2011). 

Advertise here 

Your Company, Product or Service 

can feature here, see inside back 

page for details. 

20


A list of forests managed by the Northern Ireland Forestry Service and opened to the public. 

For more details on each see the Forestry Service website: http://www.dardni.gov.uk/forestservice/ 

COUNTY ANTRIM 

Ballyboley Forest was first planted in 1957. 

Ballycastle Forest on the slopes of Knocklayd Mountain it was first planted in 1931. Most of this early 

woodland has now been clear felled and replanted. 

Ballypatrick Forest is bisected by the main A2 road which is a popular tourist route between the Glens of 

Antrim and the Causeway Coast. 

Bann Woods North Forest are a series of six small woods adjacent to the River Bann. 

Bann Woods South Forest contains many miles of forest roads which members of the public can use for 

walking. 

Breen Forest, this compact forest covers just 600 hectares. 

Capanagh Forest, this is a small coniferous forest on the Mid Antrim Plateau near Larne. 

Clare Forest or Clare Woods East refers to some small woods, which are grouped together as a management 

unit. 

Cleggan Forest, is a large upland coniferous forest of 1,227 hectares and lies on the southern extremities 

of the Antrim Plateau. 

Craigs Forest, is a small wood consisting of just over 260 hectares. 

Garry Forest, is a small wood consisting of just over 566 hectares. 

Glenariff Forest Park, is situated amid the world famous Glens of Antrim, an area to which tourists have 

been coming for over a century. 

Glenarm Forest, is probably one of the least known of the nine glens of Antrim. 

Muckamore Forest, this small woodland is located on the north-eastern shoreline of Lough Neagh, between 

Antrim Marina and the site of the former Deer Park Hotel. 

Portglenone Forest, this woodland provides an enjoyable recreational environment for all. 

Randalstown Forest, extends to 172 hectares. It was acquired by Forest Service from Shanes Castle 

Estate in 1934. 

Slieveanorra Forest, an extensive area of conifer forest, located between the Newton Crommelin to Armoy 

and the Newton Crommelin to Cushendun roads. 

Tardree Forest, this is a predominantly mixed coniferous forest with an extensive system of internal forest 

roads. 

Woodburn Forest, an extensive area of predominantly coniferous woodlands adjacent to the Woodburn 

reservoirs, near Carrickfergus. 

21

COUNTY DOWN 

Annalong Forest, the Silent Valley reservoir lies adjacent to this forest. 


Ballysallagh Forest, this is a predominantly conifer forest with an area of broadleaved woodland at Cairn 

Wood. 

Belvoir Park Forest, is a working forest within a city. It is a vibrant forest with a variety of wildlife and a 

range of tree specimens within easy reach of Belfast's outer ring road. 

Bohill Forest, a small conifer woodland just past Drumaness Village on the main road to Newcastle. 

Castleward Forest, this forest is a mixed conifer and broadleaved woodland located near the village of 

Strangford. 

Castlewellan Forest Park, encompasses 450 hectares of land lying to the north of the Mourne Mountains. 

Clandeboye Forest, a mixed conifer and broadleaved woodland adjacent to Helen's Tower. 

Donard Forest, lies at the foot of the Mournes and houses some of the most spectacular viewpoints taking 

in areas such as Newcastle and district, Dundrum Bay, St John's Point and Slieve Croob. 

Drumkeeragh Forest, mixed coniferous forest offering extensive views across County Down. 

Hillsborough Forest, mixed coniferous and broadleaved forest, within the walls of Large Park, once part of 

Hillsborough Demesne. 

Mount Stewart Forest, a mixed coniferous and broadleaved woodland located on the shores of Strangford 

Lough. 

Hollymount Forest, a small mixed coniferous and broad-leaved woodland located on the flood plain of the 

Quoile River, near Downpatrick. 

Mourne Forest, a mixed coniferous and broadleaved woodland located on the shores of Strangford Lough. 

Narrow Water Forest, this is a mixed coniferous and broadleaved woodland located beside the main 

Newry to Warrenpoint Road overlooking Narrow Water. 

Rostrevor Forest, on the edge of Rostrevor village covers an area of 1,700 hectares of which 1,000 

hectares are planted with trees. 

Tollymore Forest Park, covering an area of almost 630 hectares at the foot of the Mourne mountains, this 

Forest Park offers panoramic views of the surrounding mountains and the sea at nearby Newcastle. 

22


COUNTY LONDONDERRY 

Aghadowey Forest, is a collection of four small woodlands just North of Garvagh. 

Ballykelly Forest was purchased in 1910 and became the first state forest in Northern Ireland, when 

planting of 11 acres of douglas fir commenced in 1912. 

Banagher Forest, this is a large coniferous forest mostly planted with sitka spruce on the peat covered 

slopes. Broadleaves and larches have been planted in the richer alluvium soils in the valleys. 

Binevenagh Forest, these cliffs have been classified as an Area of Special Scientific Interest due to their 

geological and geomorphological features, and the corresponding vegetation. 

Cam Forest, this forest consists mainly of conifer species such as sitka and norway spruce, larch and 

lodgepole pine set on the mountainside overlooking the Roe Valley. 

Derrynoyd Forest, originally an estate owned by Judge Torrens in the 1700's. 

Downhill Forest is a small mixed woodland of 83 hectares just inland from the North coast, near 

Castlerock. 

Garvagh Forest, covering over 200 hectares, Garvagh Forest is situated on the outskirts of Garvagh, with 

trees from over 80 years old to those only planted at the turn of the 21st century. 

Glenshane Forest, this is a 1,000 hectare mainly coniferous forest with a large area of heather moorland 

which lies along the Glenshane pass on the main road between Belfast and Londonderry. 

Gortnamoyagh Forest, provides a rewarding experience for anyone wishing to enjoy scenic views and 

remote areas of forest. 

Grange Park Forest, the B201 road leading to the Forest, correctly named as the Windyhill Road, is also 

known as the 'Murderhole Road' in recollection of the reputed activities of late 17th and early 18th century 

highwaymen who frequented the wider area. 

Iniscarn Forest, is a small wood consisting of just over 130 hectares lying to the west of Desertmartin 

village. 

Learmount Forest, covers 118 hectares of the foothills at the northern face of the Sperrin Mountains. 

Loughermore Forest, is predominately an upland, coniferous forest covering over 1,340 hectares. 

Loughermore East Forest, is a predominately coniferous forest covering approximately 340 hectares. 

Moyola Forest, covers 47 hectares in two blocks, Moyola and Drumlamph, north of Castledawson. 

Muff Glen Forest, is nestled in a valley, just half a mile south of Eglinton. 

Somerset Forest, this wood is situated one mile south of Coleraine on the A54 Kilrea Road. 

Springwell Forest, is a predominantly coniferous woodland situated in rolling landscape, between 

Coleraine and Limavady, overlooking the North Coast. 

23

COUNTY ARMAGH 

Ballymoyer Forest, this is a coniferous wood on National Trust land. There is a pleasant woodland trail in 

this forest in Co Armagh. 

Camlough Forest, located on the hills overlooking Newry. 

Carnagh Forest, a small coniferous woodland near the village of Keady on the road towards 

Castleblayney. 

Cold Brae Forest, a remote coniferous woodland near Newtownhamilton. 

Drumbanagher Forest, a small predominantly coniferous woodland, managed in close proximity to a 

private estate near the village of Poyntzpass. 

Fathom Forest, exceptional views over forest and Carlingford Lough. 

The Fews Forest, this forest is divided into around 40 individual forest blocks and bisected by numerous 

public roads including, the Newtownhamilton to Keady Road. 

Gosford Forest Park, comprises some 240 hectares of diverse woodland. 

Loughall Forest, this is a mixed coniferous and broadleaved woodland located beside the village of 

Loughall. 

Seagahan Forest, a small coniferous woodland adjacent to Seagahan Reservoir. 


Slieve Gullion Forest Park, this Forest Park is located on the side of a steeply rising mountain within the 

‘Ring of Gullion Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty’. 

24


COUNTY FERMANAGH 

Ballintempo Forest, close to Belcoo village this forest forms 

part of a forest area that stretches from Lough MacNean in 

the west to the shores of Lough Erne below the Magho cliffs 

in Lough Navar. 

Belmore Forest, lies above the village of Boho and covers 

much of Boho mountain overlooking the county town of 

Enniskillen and providing vistas to the Fermanagh lowlands. 

Big Dog Forest, this is a 1,097 hectare mainly coniferous 

forest. Management of the forest is focused on timber 

production, biodiversity and water quality. 

Carnmore Forest is an upland predominantly coniferous 

forest that lies between Brookborough and Roslea. 

Carrigan Forest, this forest forms part of the West 

Fermanagh Upland forests that stretches from Lough 

MacNean in the west to the shores of Lough Erne below the 

Magho cliffs in Lough Navar. 

Castle Archdale Forest, the forest can be accessed from 

the Northern Ireland Environment Agency (NIEA) managed 

Castle Archdale Country Park. 

Castlecaldwell Forest, this is a 200 hectare mixed broadleaved and coniferous lowland forest that lies 

along the shore of Lough Erne close to Belleek village. 

Clabby Forest is a collective name for a number of forests that lie in close proximity to the B80 Tempo to 

Fintona Road. 

Conagher Forest, this 1,060 hectare forest is part of the West Fermanagh Upland group of forests that 

stretches from Lough MacNean in the west to the shores of Lough Erne below the Magho cliffs in Lough 

Navar. 

Crocknagrally Forest, is an upland predominantly coniferous forest that lies between Brookborough and 

Fivemiletown and can be accessed using the Alderwood and Mullaghfad Roads. 

Derrylin and Nann Island Forest, is a small upland coniferous forest that lies at the foot of Doon 

Mountain. 

Doon Forest, is an upland predominantly conifer forest that lies between Lisnaskea, Brookborough and 

Roslea. 

Ely Lodge Forest, this 250 hectare of woodland which is situated four miles from Enniskillen lies along 

Lower Lough Erne. 

Florence Court Forest Park, situated on the north east shoulder of Cuilcagh mountain, Florence Court 

Forest Park covers an area of 1,200 hectares. This old estate Forest and moorland adjoins the National 

Trust managed Florence Court House and property. 

Garrison Forest, is a collection of forest blocks that are situated near Garrison village. 

Grogey Forest, is an upland predominantly coniferous forest that lies between Lisnaskea, Brookeborough 

and Roslea. 

Jenkin Forest, is an upland predominantly coniferous forest that can be accessed using the Alderwood 

and Mullaghfad roads from Fivemiletown. 

25

Kesh Forest, lies to the north and west of Kesh village and covers an area of 2,130 hectares. 

Knocks Forest, is an upland predominantly coniferous forest close to Lisnaskea. 

Lough Navar Forest, rises to the top of the Magho cliffs at a height of 304 metres and comprises over 

2,600 hectares of primarily coniferous forest. 

Marlbank Forest, is a small group of forests that includes the Cladagh Glen and the Marble Arch National 

Nature Reserve. It forms part of the UNESCO Marble Arch Caves global geopark. 

Necarne Forest, is a 90 hectare mixed broadleaved and coniferous lowland forest that lies close to 

Irvinestown. 

Pubble Forest is 95 hectares of predominately coniferous woodland. 


Riversdale Forest is a 140 hectare low lying mixed broadleaved and coniferous forest. 

Silees Forest is a collection of small predominantly coniferous forest blocks totalling 570 hectares that lies 

beside the Sillees River. 

Spring Grove Forest is a 190 hectare predominantly coniferous forest close to Roslea Village. 

Tully Forest is a 1,100 hectares primarily coniferous woodland that lies between Donagh and Roslea. 

Tullychurry Forest covers 830 hectares of coniferous woodland with large areas unplanted for 

conservation purposes. 

26


COUNTY TYRONE 

Aghyaran Forest, there are no formal 

recreational facilities in Aghyaran forest but 

walkers may use the existing road network to 

amble through this small woodland. 

Altmore Forest, there are no formal 

recreational facilities in this forest but walkers 

may use the forest road that services this 

predominantly conifer forest. 

Baronscourt Forest, this is an old estate 

forest which lies to the south-west of 

Newtownstewart. 

Bradkeel Forest is a 140 hectare upland 

forest situated approximately 8 km from 

Plumbridge. 

Caledon Forest, this forest comprises of 

multiple small blocks of woodland separated 

by minor public roads. 

Carrickaholten Forest, this 515 hectare 

upland forest is situated some four miles from 

Killeter Village. 

Castlederg Forest, this 41 hectare forest lies 

about three miles from Castlederg Village. 

Cookstown Forest, this forest totalling 210 

hectares comprises a number of forest blocks 

around the Cookstown area. 

Creggan Forest, these are upland forests and timber production is the major objective for the planted 

areas. 

Davagh Forest Park, ten miles north-west of Cookstown this 1,500 hectare forest is largely an upland 

coniferous forest set in the foothills of the Sperrins. 

Drum Manor Forest Park, is a small yet varied and attractive forest estate located near Cookstown. 

Dunmoyle Forest, this is an upland forest with a high proportion of conifers and some native broadleaved 

areas as well as open bog areas. 

Fardross Forest, situated off the Fivemiletown to Clogher Road this upland forest covers 880 hectares. 

Favour Royal Forest, consists of a a number of connected blocks of predominantly coniferous forests that 

lie close to the main A28 Augher and Aughnacloy Road. 

Glenderg Forest, is a large upland coniferous forest and along with the adjoining Slievedoo Forest covers 

almost 4,000 hectares. 

Goles Forest is a 420 hectare forest that lies to the west of Draperstown. 

Gortin Glen Forest Park, is situated six miles North of Omagh at the Western gateway to the Sperrin 

Mountains. 

Killens Forest, this is a small upland coniferous forest visible to the left, travelling from Omagh to 

Cookstown on the A505 Road, approximately seven km from Omagh. 

27

Knockmany Forest is a collection of woodlands that lies within six km of Augher Village. 

Lack Forest is an upland forest consisting of 740 hectares of primarily coniferous woodland. 

Ligfordrum Forest is a 620 hectare, primarily coniferous forest, situated on the Sperrin Mountains 

overlooking Strabane. 

Lough Bradan Forest is a 2,115 hectare coniferous forest about five miles west of Drumquin. 

Moneygal Forest is a 325 hectare coniferous and open habitat forest north west of Castlederg. 

Moydamlaght Forest is a 300 hectare coniferous woodland on the slopes of Mullaghmore Mountain. 

Mullaghfad Forest comprises over 1,700 hectares of predominantly coniferous woodland South East of 

Fivemiletown. 

Parkanaur Forest Park is a mixed coniferous and broadleaved woodland of almost 200 hectares, located 

6.5km west of Dungannon. 

Pigeon Top Forest is a 375 hectare coniferous forest between Ederney and Omagh. 

Pomeroy Forest is a small but diverse woodland of 175 hectares on the Eastern edge of Pomeroy Village. 

Seskinore Forest is a lowland forest of 135 hectares. 

Slievedoo Forest is a large upland coniferous forest and along with the adjoining Glenderg Forest covers 

almost 4,000 hectares. 

Trillick Forest covers 245 hectares of predominantly coniferous woodland. 



Your Company, Product or Service can feature here, see inside back page for 

details. 

28


A Good Night, 

Night at the Museum 

Clare Ablett describes what goes on at the Ulster 

Museum behind closed doors. 

Any visit to a museum as a child was always filled with wonder at all the strange and fascinating 

objects on display. But some of us were left thinking what happened to all those exotic artefacts 

when all the people had gone home and the museum was left in darkness. With the Ben Stiller film 

‘Night at the Museum’, we saw some of our theories played out on the big screen and in my job as a 

visitor guide at the Ulster Museum I have lots of children (young and old) asking me if things come 

alive in the galleries at night. Some of the visitor services team here decided to find out for 

themselves by organising a sleepover in the museum for staff and their children after being inspired 

by the successful event put on monthly by the Natural History Museum in London. It was a big hit 

with everyone involved and it was decided to invite the public for the next one and see how our family 

of objects would contend with visitors staying past their bedtime. 

29

Families were put into different groups named after dinosaurs in our own museum and were told to 

set up camp in the Welcome area. After enjoying our big welcome, each group set off to their 

different activities. The fun continued until the magical hour of midnight and with only the light 

from our torches everyone waited to see if a triceratops would wander past. As early morning light 

strayed through the top windows of the building it appeared that the only low rumbling heard was not 

from the dinosaurs but was in fact the contented snoring of tired out mums and dads. After 

re-fuelling at breakfast, there was time for one more activity before we said farewell to our intrepid 

explorers. 

Since then the event has gone from strength to strength with both the public and privately booked 

groups selling out. Our range of activities has also increased so if you decide you are feeling 

adventurous, who knows what you will see and do. Perhaps you will meet a relation of our famous 

Egyptian mummy Takabuti who will recruit you to help with the funeral rites and tell you about the 

rituals of Egyptian life. Or maybe a journey back in time to prehistoric Ireland; but be careful, 

because you never know who you might encounter. But you have to be prepared because you may end 

up at a recruitment office for World War I and those itchy uniforms aren’t comfy! But its not all 

about history as we have other activities to teach you all about; nature and the weird and wonderful 

animals that live in the wild. But if older animals are more your thing, then we have a fossil making 

activity where children can learn all about how fossils are formed and make a cast of a real ammonite 

to take home with them. One of the highlights for any budding palaeontologist is our torch-lit tour 

around some of the galleries. Can you find the clues to find all the dinosaurs? 


So if you are feeling adventurous and want to take a trip back in time to discover what goes on in a 

museum after dark then you might want to check out the Ulster Museum in Belfast…if you dare! 

The next sleepover will take place on the 2 nd of March and is open to all who dare to brave the 

museum at night. For details please contact the Ulster museum at 02890 440051 or check the 

website at www.nmni.com. 

30


In the second of two articles on traditional 

houses, Dr Rowan McLaughlin discusses their 

symbolic importance, intrinsic value and 

place in the landscape. 

The Past in the Present 

Travelling through the countryside, we experience a 

landscape that has resulted from interactions between people and the environment over time. The human influence 

is particularly great in Ireland, where the agricultural history of recent centuries can be glimpsed almost everywhere 

(for example, see Figure 1). As a number of important works have shown, understanding the agricultural practices of 

recent centuries is therefore an intrinsic part of appreciating the landscape. The way in which domestic dwellings 

are distributed in the landscape is also an important factor in how the countryside takes shape. Last time, I argued 

that the abandonment of traditional rural dwellings represents an opportunity to study the reasons for site 

abandonment as an archaeological phenomenon. In this article the process is reversed: I want to look at 

contemporary settlement patterns in the countryside from an historical perspective, and discuss why understanding 

the past is critical to ensuring the continued survival of this delicate resource. 

Almost heaven... 

Because most of the countryside is under private ownership and not open to the public, our experience of the Irish 

countryside is as individual travellers upon the intensive network of country roads. For a start, the character of the 

countryside is often assessed by the perceived aesthetic values of a road... “this is a nice road” or “what a pleasant 

neighbourhood” are common observations. The paths roads take, and hence the journeys performed upon them, 

are influenced by an array of historical, social and geographical factors. Topography is often of least concern, as 

from a local scale, many rural roads in Ireland seem to defy all logic. They vary irrationally in width, zig‐zag or 

meander through completely flat terrain and ascend hills that could be avoided altogether. Two near‐parallel roads 

often exist where one would suffice; or sometimes frustratingly long journeys are required when a connecting road 

that should exist in logic fails to manifest in reality. Land‐ownership and access rights are often the reasons behind 

these patterns. Roads, being enclosed spaces (roads without boundaries are predominant around the world but very 

rare in Ireland), 

Figure 1: A typical scene of 18th century dwellings and 19th century cultivation ridges in 21st century Co. Down 

help to reinforce 

boundaries―both 

on a practical level, 

and in cognitive 

space. Roads are 

therefore central to 

concepts of land 

ownership; they 

exist as a means to 

connect territories 

both as mutual 

spaces and as 

boundaries in 

themselves. 

31 

LESSONS IN A 

LOST LANDSCAPE

Blight or Bliss? 


Ireland, small as it is, has one of the highest total lengths of highways‐per‐capita of any country in the world. This is 

due to the network of small roads which exist to serve the low‐density, distributed pattern of dwellings that 

characterise the landscape. This pattern is of ancient origin. Even in Irish prehistory, despite some 

recently‐discovered and notable exceptions, most dwelling houses have been discovered in isolation or in very small 

groups. Indeed, urban living, a phenomenon that has revolutionised societies for millennia, took an unusually long 

time to catch‐on in Ireland; it was a concept imported by Viking settlers. Even today, a very significant number of 

households are isolated dwellings in the countryside―according to census results this is the predominant se�lement 

type in most parts of the island. 

Figure 2: “Bungalow Blight” at The Rosses, Co. Donegal. (Image by Yakshini, licenced under Creative Commons BY‐NC‐SA 2.0) 

This distributed settlement pattern is at odds with some current thinking in rural planning, and has led to real 

problems in certain areas. The most visible difficulty with persisting with this tradition is the proliferation of 

“bungalow blight” in some places (e.g. Figure 2). Developers have been given free reign in some of the most scenic 

locations, and the resulting sprawl of houses is disastrous for both the environment and the landscape. However, 

much tension exists between various interest groups who promote such development on economic and social 

grounds and those who are more concerned with heritage or environmental issues, and wish development to be 

more rigorously controlled. The planning authorities seem caught between the two viewpoints, and definitive 

solutions have proved elusive. In Northern Ireland, rural planning has become a political “hot potato” in recent 

years; the strict regulations governing the buildings of one‐off dwellings have become electoral issues. 

The overall trend, however, is for an acknowledgement that indiscriminate building throughout the countryside 

causes social problems and pressure on infrastructure, and is to be discouraged in favour of more centralised 

development. It is seldom mentioned that centralised development has always been a marginal pattern in Ireland, 

especially compared to Britain and many European countries. 

32


In terms of the landscape, and according to the 

ideologies of people who live in the countryside, a 

distributed settlement pattern is the traditional 

approach. Two centuries ago, more people lived in the 

Irish countryside than do so now. It therefore seems 

doubtful that a move towards centralised settlement is 

the appropriate answer for the peoples and 

landscapes of rural areas. 

Return of the Vernacular 

This simplistic standpoint does not acknowledge a 

number of factors that also influence building in the 

countryside; falling household sizes, vacant properties, 

holiday homes and changes in the agricultural 

economy all play a prominent role in debates over the 

future of countryside housing. Less debated, however, 

is the potential role of traditional vernacular buildings 

in halting or reversing the decline in countryside 

quality that newly‐built single dwellings have 

threatened. 

As I discussed last time, many of these buildings still 

exist in the landscape; indeed many are abandoned 

but structurally sound. Their aesthetic qualities are 

often held in high‐regard. Indeed, a paradox exists 

with regards to the buildings. On one hand, they are 

seen as an intrinsic part of the landscape; they appear 

on postcards, television adverts and in tourists’ 

brochures. However, they are also deemed as old and 

backward structures by many. This perhaps reflects a 

folk memory of the social and economic conditions 

during the times when cottages were built (from the 

seventeenth to mid‐nineteenth centuries) which were, 

by modern standards, very poor indeed. Social 

inequality was enormous, and the rural poor were 

oppressed by their employers and landlords. 

Travellers to Ireland widely reported this, and they and 

other outside commentators could not agree whether 

this was the fault of the ruling aristocracy, or a natural 

deficiency in the Irish peasants themselves. 

And so, haunted by a fear of poverty and in the name 

of progress, many vernacular buildings have been 

replaced with more modern houses. These buildings 

are often greatly compromised architecturally as 

regulations insist on a general bungalow format that is 

33 

supposed to recall the vernacular cottage. However, 

the scale and siting of these new buildings is often 

vastly at odds with any indigenous approach. Suburban 

prototypes, large floor plans and alien building 

materials all enable these buildings to exist without any 

real reference to traditional building paradigms. Most 

damaging of all is the power of hydraulic earth‐moving 

machinery, which allows for the immediate landscape 

to be remodelled according to the whims of fancy; 

nowadays houses may be sited virtually anywhere, 

despite how insensitive a chosen location may be in the 

context of its surroundings. 

This is strongly at odds with the benefits of a traditional 

approach to housing. As Professor E. Eystn Evans 

wrote, in his introduction to the 1978 edition of 

Mourne Country: 

“...the very poverty which restricted the importation 

of ‘foreign’ building materials resulted in an ecological 

rightness in the houses and buildings of the countryside, 

which are generally carefully sited, low‐built, 

small‐windowed and neatly trimmed to meet the sweep 

of wind and weather.” 

At a time when “ecological rightness” has assumed a 

new importance around the world, it would perhaps be 

timely to look at traditional buildings more closely 

when making decisions about housing in the 

countryside. It is indeed curious that, in Northern 

Ireland, the removal of many old houses was actually 

funded by generous housing executive grants, as part 

of schemes to improve standards in rural housing. 

Unfortunately the motives behind replacing dwellings 

can seem almost whimsical. In 1998 the Ulster 

Architectural Heritage Society held a conference on the 

future of rural buildings in Ulster. In the conference’s 

proceedings, Caroline Maguire expressed the problem 

succinctly: 

“The removal of these buildings, which may have a 

history of far greater complexity than a cursory 

inspection of their fabric reveals, is often required 

because they fail to meet the eight points of fitness 

such as the sequence of worktop/sink/worktop/cooker 

etc. This amounts to the wholesale clearance or 

removal of an entire layer of our heritage.”


The unwritten; indeed unspoken history of rural Ireland in recent centuries does not feature prominently in 

discourses about Irish history and politics. Yet, as the poet Seamus Heaney points out in a number of his works, a 

sense of prehistory has always existed, in silence, alongside historical narratives. The countryside contains little 

evidence of the battles, rebellions and treaties that continue to preoccupy our constructs of Irish identity. This is in 

stark contrast to the landscape itself, which is vividly thronged with the physical remains of a vernacular, traditional 

world; a way of life that could celebrate continuity from the stone‐age to the 21st Century. 

Traditional things tell us about the world in a way that historical sources cannot. They should not be lost because of 

transient economic circumstances, fashions or a generalised non‐specific fear of the old. Buildings, and their 

distribution in the landscape, express people’s interactions with the environment most eloquently. As it stands, 

however, we must fear that the countryside is on a self‐destructive course at present. Distributed settlement may 

well be tradi�onal and reflected in road infrastructure―hence the way the landscape is perceived. But new 

buildings have had so many negative impacts on the integrity of the countryside that few could argue that they 

provide a sustainable answer to the demand for rural housing. The answer, to me, seems to point towards a return 

to traditional houses. I mean that literally; thousands of these buildings could be restored and updated for modern 

needs, which would be a very valuable exercise if best practices (such as reversibility and clarity) were followed. 

Even if this were impossible, new buildings must take many more cues from traditional building materials and 

practices. In doing so, we would be able to continue to celebrate the special character of the Irish landscape long 

into the future. In a world that valued the past unequivocally, this would be common practice. 

The Irish landscape is currently being ravaged by the fallout from an economic recession caused by a burst 

speculative property bubble. Ghost estates proliferate and unfinished or uninhabited new‐builds can be found in 

abundance. It is not comforting to think that even in a derelict state, traditional buildings often appear more 

pleasing and less obtrusive than these latter‐day constructions... alas, how dreadful will these new buildings appear 

to our grandchildren’s generation? 

Text and Figure 1 copyright Rowan McLaughlin 2012 

Email: r.mclaughlin@qub.ac.uk 


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34


Ross Bailey, IAR Experimental Director, takes a look at ancient board games and discovers that 

the same rules still apply 

Many experimental/reconstructive archaeology projects and pastimes, whilst fun and informative, often involve 

something of a risk, whether major or minor, often involving lacerations, burns, breakages, and generally a fair 

amount of swearing when something goes wrong. The following game may in a modest way achieve some of the 

same goals of experimental and reconstructive work – giving us another small window into the potential mindsets of 

our ancestors ‐ whilst involving considerably less bodily harm. Games are a ubiquitous feature of every culture, and 

reflect back upon those cultures and the individuals that chose to play each particular game. This article introduces 

one of those games from our own history – brandubh. 

Of the wide variety of board 

games popular today, one style 

which seems to have slipped 

away somewhat is the 'hunt 

based' game. As opposed to a 

battle between two sides of 

equal size, such as chess or 

draughts, or a race between 

two or more sides, snakes and 

ladders, ludo, or backgammon, 

hunt based games consist of a 

smaller side trying to reach an 

objective whilst evading a larger 

side. Fox and Hounds is a 

simple example, played on a 

draughts board with one Fox, 

Replica of a Bandubh board 

able to move in any direction, 

attempting to reach the far side of the board, from which four Hounds (able only to move down the board) are 

advancing. The tafl games, so popular with the Vikings, and their variants are also hunt games with a larger force 

hunting a kingpiece and his guards as they try to escape from the centre of the board. Many old board games of 

strategy and skill are popularly linked, whether realistically or not, with cunning on the battlefield and, as with chess, 

the pieces take on the appearances of soldiers and nobility. It is an interesting aside to wonder whether the 

proliferation of tafl games, with a heavily outnumbered king escaping pursuers, and their eventual replacement by 

even‐sided games such as chess and draughts, is reflective of a change in either tactical mindsets and attitudes, 

general popular mindsets and attitudes, or even actual military practice. 

Brandubh (Raven Black) is the name given to an Irish variant of one of the hnefatafl (King's Table) family of games 

that were most prevalent throughout western Europe in the 7 th to 10 th centuries AD, with boards found dating to 

between the 10 th and 12 th centuries. Eventually supplanted to an extent by chess after the 12 th century, the tafl 

games shared a common theme – a kingpiece in the centre of the board, surrounded by a small group of followers, 

surrounded and outnumbered by hostile forces. The objective was to either guide the king to a safe escape on one 

of the corner squares, or prevent the escape of the king, depending upon the side played. 

35 

The Games People Play

What is known of the Irish variant, Brandubh, is mostly known through the few surviving boards found, and a few 

scattered references to the game in Irish poetry of the 12 th to 16 th century which speak of a branán (a common term 

for chief) and his band of four, and “five men of white silver and eight of gold”. The boards themselves seem to vary 

little in layout – either a 7 x 7 grid, or a 6 x 6 grid with the game played on the intersections of the lines rather than 

on the squares. The quality and workmanship of the boards discovered ranges from high quality boards, 

exemplified by the ornately carved wooden board from Ballinderry Crannog 1 in County Westmeath, to what seem 

to be 'throwaway' graffiti boards roughly carved into stones and later discarded, much like the double‐sided board 

found during excavations at Cathedral Hill in Downpatrick. It seems likely that the game was played by high and low 

classes alike given the differences in quality of the boards, though whilst the graffiti boards seem to be carved as 

needed and discarded, the Ballinderry board at least seems to have been made with portability in mind. The heads 

protruding from two opposing sides of the board seem to have been intended for use as handles, suggesting 

portability was a concern, but also allowing two players to hold the board between themselves where flat or 

unstable surfaces were unavailable. In common with many modern travel games, the Ballinderry board was laid out 

with holes for pegged pieces, rather than a plain grid for counters. 

Replica coins used as counters 

on the game board. 

The exact rules for brandubh are unknown, as are those for hnefatafl in general. The closest record to the actual 

rules for hnefatafl were recorded by Carl von Linneaus in his diary of his travels through Lapland in 1732. The game 

he records and sketches the board for, closely resembles known hnefatafl and brandubh boards, save for having a 9 

x 9 layout. The king sits in the centre, protected by eight Swedes and attacked by sixteen Muscovites. Those that 

follow are assembled from a variety of sources – the rules that Linneaus records, those suggested by Walker for 

adapting the common Tablut and tafl rules to the brandubh board, and much practice and playtesting on the past of 

the author, both with and without the addition of mead for added authenticity. Whilst it cannot be claimed that the 

following rules definitely represent the most likely style of play, they do represent a relatively balanced style. 

Experimentation is encouraged though, particularly with players of opposing skill levels – changing the method of 

capturing the branán to surrounding on all four sides will swing the odds greatly in the favour the the defender, 

whilst allowing the centre square, once vacant, to count as a friendly square for the purposes of capture, will make 

the job of the attacker that much easier. In games where the balance is noticeably in favour of one side or the other 

good practice, and good manners, would suggest the players take turns at each side and count a game as consisting 

of two rounds, swapping sides between. 


36


Set‐up 

How to Play 

Brandubh is played on a 7 x 7 grid, with the Chief's Space in the 

centre, and the four corners for his escape marked with an X 

(Fig 1). 

Movement 

Figure 1 

The initial set‐up is shown in Figure 2, the Branán (the piece 

marked with an X) in the centre, surrounded by his guards, 

with eight enemy pieces arrayed against him. 

Figure 2 

All pieces, including the Branán, move like rooks in chess – 

they may move any number of pieces horizontally or vertically 

(see Figure 3), but may not move over another piece. Only the 

Branán may enter the corner squares, and only the Branán 

can sit in the centre square, though once he leaves it he may 

not re‐enter it. The centre square can be moved over as 

normal though (for a more challenging game for the attackers, 

have this centre square block movement). 

37 

Figure 3

Figure 4 

Capturing 

An enemy piece may, however, land between two friendly 

pieces and remain safe (Figure 6). Depending on the difficulty 

level desired, the corner pieces can also count as friendly for 

the purposes of taking the Branán, despite the fact that they 

are technically empty squares for him. 

Figure 6 


Figure 5 

Enemy pieces, including the Branán, are captured by being surrounded on opposing sides (Figure 4) by two friendly 

pieces, the corner squares also count as friendly for this purpose (Figure 5). 

Replica Brandubh board made from leather 

38


39 

The Experimental Archaeology 

Conference 

Past History and Recent 

Developments 

Ruth Fillery‐Travis discusses the benefits of the experimental archaeology conference series 

Experimental archaeology seeks to answer questions about the past by replicating and examining practices and 

objects attested in the archaeological record. Experimental approaches have been applied most widely to 

prehistoric cultures, where archaeological evidence is considered scarce, but it can and is being utilised to 

answer questions concerning the wide sweep of human history. Wherever the use or creation of an object, the 

practical undertaking of a process, or formation of a deposit is unclear, experimental archaeology can be used to 

test theories, replicate known aspects, and widen the evidence base for interpretations. The replication of 

objects and processes is also used extensively across the museum sector as an education and engagement tool, 

often involving modern craftspeople that have researched and developed replica processes. 

Whilst experimental archaeology gained a name and identity in the 1960s, and saw an expansion of academic 

interest during the 1980s, there had been no conference in the UK dedicated solely to this approach. Though 

there are some meetings operating on the continent, attendance at these is often beyond the means of 

researchers, museum professionals, and craftspeople. Within this setting, the conference had its beginnings in a 

single day workshop organised at UCL, London, in 2006. The aim of the meeting was to provide a forum for 

people working within experimental archaeology to discuss their current work, and it began a tradition of 

attracting not just established academics but also students and independent researchers. From this workshop 

grew the now roughly annual Experimental Archaeology Conference, which recently had its 6th meeting in York.

As with all previous conferences, the 2012 meeting was hosted by an academic institution, in this case the 

Archaeology Department of York University, which is situated in the beautiful late medieval Kings Manor building 

just outside the historic city walls. This academic context led to a predominance of papers discussing scientific 

experiments, with nine out of twelve presentations taking this approach. The standard of these was generally 

high: of particular note was Spiteri’s work on recreating residues on prehistoric cooking pots, which argued that 

vegetable residues were unlikely to survive even if extensively used, and Chu and Thompson’s innovative 

abrasion of lithics within an annular flume to demonstrate no macro‐ or micro‐scopic difference between the 

abrasion of bedded or free‐moving flints in fluvial systems. 


Whilst there were some commercial archaeologists and museum professionals among those attending the 

conference, most attendees were academics. As a result the two final papers by Fillery‐Travis and Wood, raising 

the issues of defining who we consider to be experimental archaeologists and how we measure the impact and 

engagement with our discipline respectively, produced limited debate. It was disappointing that although 

practical demonstrations were a feature of the second day, there were few craftspeople formally present at the 

conference as attendees. Their involvement in discussions would have brought wider perspectives to the 

debate, and better contextualised some of the work presented. 

Despite these limitations the meeting stands out amongst many archaeology conferences for the enthusiastic 

and approachable nature of its attendees, and the open and un‐bureaucratic nature of its organisation. The 

welcoming nature of the conference is a direct reflection of the vibrant nature of the experimental archaeology 

community, with many new friendships made over a pint in the evening. Following the success of this 6th 

edition of the conference, myself and colleague set up a website to archive abstracts and posters from the 

series, and to act as a portal for news on the upcoming 7th conference (http://experimentalarchaeology.org.uk/). 

Anyone interested in the conference or the type of work undertaken by experimental archaeologists is 

encouraged to visit, and feedback is gratefully received. 

It is hoped that those papers from the 6th Conference reporting scientific work will be published as a special 

addition of the Springer journal Archaeological and Anthropological Sciences in December 2012, and that we will 

see a 7th Conference, possibly in Cardiff, before January 2013. This conference is not limited to British 

contributors and represents a fantastic opportunity for practitioners and archaeologists of all kinds to 

communicate their work to a wider audience and see examples of what experimental archaeologists are 

currently working on. I recommend anyone, whatever methodology they utilise, to consider submitting an 

abstract at the next call for papers. It is my personal hope that the growing profile of the conference will 

encourage experimenters from outside academia to attend, and the conference itself will continue to expand 

and embrace a wider audience. 

40


41 

Gavin Donaghy, IAR Technical Director, looks in his front room and finds the future of 

archaeological illustration 

I have been keeping an eye on digital 

technologies over the past few years and 

in that time I have noticed a growing 

interest in 3D scanning technologies. 

Until recently, this technology has been 

very expensive and inaccessible to the 

amateur archaeologist. Is this technology 

an affordable and useful tool or just an 

interesting gadget? I'll be examining a 

number of new 3D techniques and 

experimenting with an inexpensive setup 

of my own to be seen if you can play 

around in three dimensions yourself. 

With the advent of Makerbot it is now 

possible to build your own 3D printer; 

you can purchase one from £600 and 

print in several mediums, from plastic 

and clay to icing sugar. This gave me the 

idea of possibility of scanning an 

archaeological artefact and storing it 

digitally so it can be reproduced using a 

3D printer in the event of the artefacts 

destruction. 

The Makerbot 

It would appear that a top of the line 3D scanner will cost around £1,900 from NextEngine, and this will scan 

anything in amazing detail and enable you to reproduce anything you like on a 3D printer. The lowest price kit that I 

could find was one from David Laserscanner from £340; it contains a laser, a webcam and a full version of their 

software to let you manipulate your images once you have scanned them. Both scanning sets were great and would 

do exactly what I thought they could for their price ranges, but I wanted to build my own kit to see what the 

technology was capable of and what you could do on a very small budget.

The Equipment 

The Scanning 


When I set up my kit and printed out the backgrounds that I needed so that the camera would know the distance 

and position of the scanning laser I was ready to start. The technique they recommend with the software I chose 

was to set up the equipment in a dark room (so the 

laser shows bright on the webcam), slowly pass the 

laser beam over the artefact until you can see the 

scan is complete then rotate the object and repeat. 

The results I got from following the David 

Laserscanner instructions were immediate and 

stunning, the texture and detail looked great through 

the live feed displayed on my desktop. I wanted to 

try and scan everything immediately; the cat and my 

fiancée Rachel were all suitable candidates in my 

head when I had got it working. The most successful 

test that I performed was on a human skull that an 

oesteoarchaeologist friend of mine asked me to try 

and scan. The scan showed a great amount of detail 

and made me think that there could be a real 

possibility for 3D scanning as a possibility for post 

excavation analysis. For spending under £100 on a 

basic kit and achieving excellent results that with a 3D 

printer would print out a reasonable facsimile of an 

artefact. 

I looked around the internet for 

processing software to render my 3D 

images from my scans and found that the 

David Laserscanner software is free to try 

(it unlocks higher resolutions and more 

scanning options for the full version) and 

had the nicest looking results straight out 

of the box. I then started to look at the 

technological requirements of the 

scanning software and after exhausting 

the internet forums discovered that all I 

needed was a HD webcam and a line 

laser. The HD webcam that I purchased 

was a Logitech C910 HD Webcam; it had 

received great reviews and cost around 

£60. The laser component needed to 

produce a line as opposed to the dot of 

light you see in a laser pointer. I found 

that you could purchase a line laser on 

Ebay for £10 and added it to my kit. In all, including wood that I used to build an area to do the scanning and a Lazy 

Susan for rotating my object, the whole kit came in at under £100. 

3D Scanning in the front room 

42


In conclusion, I believe 3D Scanning to be a viable option to store information about artefacts. We can save precise 

information about not only the dimensions of an object but also textural information and then replicate the artefact 

in the event of its destruction. With regards to Human remains this technology could be a non‐invasive way to 

analyze remains, or even email the scan of a bone to someone on the other side of the world and they could print it 

out themselves and give you a second opinion. In short this was a fun and interesting experiment and if you have a 

spare £100, even in these difficult financial times, that you should give it a go. As archaeologists we should attempt 

to explore this new technology and work out how it can improve or change how we record artefactual remains. 

Results using the DIY 3D Laser Scanner 

Useful Links: 

http://www.david‐laserscanner.com/ 

http://www.makerbot.com/ 

http://www.nextengine.com/ 

43


Northern Ireland’s natural heritage has received a huge boost today after the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) confirmed 

the award of a £1.15million grant for the Belfast Hills. 

Lottery Boost for Belfast Hills 

In the first issue of our magazine, we featured the new and exciting archaeology project in the 

Belfast. In December 2011 the Belfast Hills Partnership programme received some great news. 

Last year HLF endorsed the Belfast Hills Partnership’s initial proposals for their Landscape Partnership (LP) scheme, 

and following twelve months of detailed planning and development the full award has now been secured. 

The LP programme acts as a catalyst to bring communities and organisations together to form partnerships that 

create a shared vision and help implement local action for the conservation and management of our landscape 

heritage. Each LP scheme contains a portfolio of projects that provide long term social, economic and environmental 

benefits for the areas. 

Commenting on the announcement, Head of HLF NI, Paul Mullan, said: “We are delighted to announce this grant 

award which is such wonderful news for the Belfast Hills. The new LP scheme will enable local communities to 

rediscover and engage with the heritage on their doorstep, and by connecting a host of interested parties the long 

term future of this heritage asset can be secured.” 

The Belfast Hills LP scheme comprises over 5,000 hectares of broad, rounded hills which frame the communities of 

Belfast, Lisburn, Newtownabbey and Antrim. The public sites within the area include Divis and Black Mountain, Cave 

Hill Country Park, Colin Glen Forest Park, Carnmoney Hill and Slievenacloy nature reserve. The area is subject to a 

high number of designations due to its significant heritage value and is home to 19 scheduled monuments and 

numerous archaeological features. 

Twenty‐nine individual projects will run across the four year LP scheme, which will help to protect, increase access to 

and understanding of this outstanding local landscape. It will bring together local residents, community groups, 

landowners and statutory agencies to develop and implement a plan for the area which focuses on the natural, built, 

cultural and social heritage of the Hills. 

Projects to conserve and restore the built and natural heritage features include initiatives to control invasive species, 

map wildfires and enhance the grassland and farmland habitat to improve the biodiversity and landscape. New 

access routes will be installed and existing routes upgraded to increase access to the Hills and the local community 

will be encourage to become involved in a series of events and activities to engage them with the heritage of the 

area. 

New skills and development opportunities will also be provided in subjects as diverse as landscape photography, 

biological surveying and tourist guide training. Community archaeology digs – like the recent one at Cave Hill ‐ will 

take place as well as efforts to improve facilities at the five public sites. Work on the ground should start early next 

year. 

44


Welcoming the award, Belfast Hills Development Manager, Dr Lizzy Pinkerton, said: “The Landscape Partnership 

Scheme will be the impetus for an ongoing process of growth and development that will result in a sustainable 

legacy for our landscape and its people. We would like to thank our partner organisations who have provided vital 

support and guidance during the development of this project.” 

Additional funding for the LP scheme has been provided by a host of organisations including the NI Environmental 

Agency, the Rural Development Programme and Belfast, Lisburn, Newtownabbey and Antrim councils. 

Environment Minister Alex Attwood said: “I warmly welcome this project and am pleased that the Department of the 

Environment is able to contribute to it through Northern Ireland Environment Agency (NIEA). The Belfast Hills 

Partnership is to be commended on having the vision to make this project a reality. It will make a real difference by 

protecting and managing the hills landscape over looking Belfast through promoting the heritage of the Belfast Hills 

and giving local people a valuable opportunity to get involved in a wide range of activities.” 

Note: 

Using money raised through the National Lottery, the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) sustains and transforms a wide 

range of heritage for present and future generations to take part in, learn from and enjoy. From museums, parks 

and historic places to archaeology, natural environment and cultural traditions, we invest in every part of our diverse 

heritage. Since 1994 the Heritage Lottery Fund has awarded £146 million to projects across Northern Ireland. 

www.hlf.org.uk 

45

http://www.etsy.com/shop/IARShop 

We sell replicas of archaeological artefacts, artefact based jewellery, historical games, and much 

more, all handcrafted by Ross Bailey. 

All profits from our sales help to fund our community and membership based archaeological projects 

Some of the items for sale 

Arrowhead pendant on a sliver chain 

Replica brandubh board made from leather 

Replica Dagger

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