Aerial Archaeology in Ireland - The Heritage Council

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Figure 24: Low-level oblique photography of a ringfort near Newgrange. Note how differential melting of the frost and the shadows cast by the varying height of the adjacent hedge help to highlight the slight earthworks and modern plough furrows picked out by the low winter sunlight (Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government) In the UK, there is increasing evidence that the combination of agricultural intensification and probable climatic change (coupled with some reduced restrictions on flying) have resulted in a high continuing rate of new discovery of cropmark sites. This even applies to areas such as the Thames Valley where aerial archaeology has been intensively undertaken for nearly 70 years (Benson and Miles 1974; Fenner and Dyer 1994). In Ireland, there seems to have been a largely unspoken assumption among many archaeologists — at least until recently — that St Joseph ‘did’ the country in terms of cropmark photography. Coupled with the generally better survival of field monuments in a predominantly pastoral farming economy, this has meant that there has been rather less general interest in what might be termed cropmark archaeology, and less concern to ensure systematic aerial reconnaissance. In fact, St Joseph himself stressed that he had only sampled some areas and considered he had only illustrated the potential (Norman and St Joseph 1969). The exceptional year of 1989 in particular showed that considerably more buried archaeology was still to be found through aerial photography of cropmarks (e.g. Figure 41; Barrett 1990, 1995a, 1995b; Power 1993). With the example of a 16km 2 study area around Dunmanoge, Co. Kildare, Barrett (1995b, 1997a, 2002) has further illustrated the cumulative, capricious way in which sites are gradually revealed by cropmarks. Here, a total of 19 archaeological sites are known: three marked on the 1837 1st edition OS 6” map; one chance find in 1960; five cropmark sites identified by St Joseph in 1971; one site excavated on the Cork-Dublin pipeline in 1982; and as a result of further aerial reconnaissance by Barrett, three further cropmark sites discovered in 1989, another three in 1990, and three more in 1991 (Figure 25). Thus 14 of the 19 monuments known in the area are cropmarks, although they were discovered in four separate years. 47
48 Figure 25: The cumulative impact of aerial discovery between 1971 and 1991 has changed our understanding of the archaeological resource at Dunmanoge, Co. Kildare (after Barrett 1997)
Page 1 and 2: A I R A N D E A R T H A E R I A L A
Page 3 and 4: © An Chomhairle Oidhreachta / The
Page 5 and 6: 3.9 Integration with other Types of
Page 7 and 8: Figure 14: The Discovery Programme
Page 9 and 10: Figure 39: This vertical photograph
Page 11 and 12: 10 Foreword One of the initiatives
Page 13 and 14: 12 Acknowledgements It would not ha
Page 15 and 16: 14 Key Priorities for Aerial Archae
Page 17 and 18: 16 • A practical handbook in arch
Page 19 and 20: 18 • A series of pilot studies co
Page 21 and 22: 20 5. Any new strategy for reconnai
Page 23 and 24: 22 As a means of discovering archae
Page 25 and 26: 24 Drawing on the work of O.G.S. Cr
Page 27 and 28: 26 2 PRINCIPAL SOURCES OF AIR PHOTO
Page 29 and 30: 28 National Museum of Ireland While
Page 31 and 32: 30 Other material held by the GSI i
Page 33 and 34: 32 Figure 9: An infrared vertical i
Page 35 and 36: 34 The aims and objectives of these
Page 37 and 38: 36 2.5 Private Collections Dr Daphn
Page 39 and 40: 38 2.6 Commercial Collections Two w
Page 41 and 42: 40 Figure 18: Google Earth satellit
Page 43 and 44: 42 3.2 Aerial Platforms The equipme
Page 45 and 46: 44 Figures 20 a-b: The use of ballo
Page 47: 46 Figure 23: The true form of the
Page 51 and 52: 50 3.4 Conventional Photography: Di
Page 53 and 54: 52 Vertical versus Oblique Photogra
Page 55 and 56: 54 Metrical Survey As Doody observe
Page 57 and 58: 56 shoreline and topography (ground
Page 59 and 60: 58 The fieldwork showed that the ge
Page 61 and 62: 60 Sonar Bathymetry Although there
Page 63 and 64: 62 Both Kelleher (1995) and Redfern
Page 65 and 66: 64 Interpreting Chronology and Sequ
Page 67 and 68: 66 While the Archaeological Survey
Page 69 and 70: 68 County No. Ringforts No. identif
Page 71 and 72: 70 Figure 36: Newly identified crop
Page 73 and 74: 72 Figures 38 a-b: Contrasts in urb
Page 75 and 76: 74 Roles and potential for historic
Page 77 and 78: 76 4.2 Roles in Supporting Archaeol
Page 79 and 80: 78 Figures 41 a-b: Gillian Barrett
Page 81 and 82: 80 The Archaeology of Lakes, Coast
Page 83 and 84: 82 Whole Landscape Approaches Perha
Page 85 and 86: 84 Figure 45: Drumlin landscape nea
Page 87 and 88: 86 Roads The National Roads Authori
Page 89 and 90: 88 Pipelines The general principles
Page 91 and 92: 90 General Development Where there
Page 93 and 94: 92 ‘…numerous sites in pasture
Page 95 and 96: 94 • • Earthen monuments are co
Page 97 and 98: 96 Designed Landscapes and Conserva
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98 showing the clear benefits of in
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100 Figure 55: Aerial photograph of
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102 5 QUALITY, RESOURCES AND ORGANI
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104 Estimates of costs per site or
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106 ago in England, may have meant
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108 6 TEACHING AND TRAINING 6.1 Cov
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110 6.2 Other Provisions for Traini
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112 Benson, D and Miles, D 1974. Th
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114 Doody, M G, 1995. ‘Ballyhoura
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116 Twohig and M. Ronayne (eds) Pas
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118 Raftery, J, 1951. Prehistoric I
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120 Colin Shell Cambridge Universit
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Aerial Archaeology in Ireland - The Heritage Council

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