uas newsletter spring 2013
DESCRIPTION
The quarterly Newsletter of the Ulster Archaeological Society. Highlighting some of the Society's activities over the past few months.TRANSCRIPT
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EDITOR: Duncan Berryman. School of Geography, Archaeology & Palaeoecology, Queen's
University Belfast, BELFAST, BT7 1NN Email: [email protected]
THE ULSTER ARCHAEOLOGICAL SOCIETY
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FROM THE EDITOR As usual, we start the year with a new committee and this year we welcome Ian Meighan and Rosin McCaughan. Rosin is rejoining the committee after a break of a number of years, during her last term she made a great contribution to the Society and it is a pleasure to have her back. Ian will be well known to many members of the society and we can look forward to the new experiences that he will bring to the committee. At the beginning of March I attended the winter AGM of the Council for British Archaeology, the theme of the meeting was the future of archaeological societies in the United Kingdom. The majority of delegates were from England, but there were also people from Wales, Scotland and Jersey. There was much discussion about the threats facing archaeological societies, such as lack of funding, decreasing and ageing membership and remaining relevant to the community. But there was also discussion about the positive aspects of societies, such as replacing university life long learning courses and promoting the heritage of communities. Many societies in England have taken on some of the work of local councils, such as assisting with planning applications, carrying out rescue excavations, creating heritage trails and providing access to monuments by caring for their surroundings. The key message to bring back from the meeting was that there is a positive future for archaeological societies, they may just have to be open to new opportunities. The same is true of the Ulster Archaeological Society. We have always had a lecture programme and our reason d'être is the publication of the Ulster Journal of Archaeology. But seven years ago the survey group was created and our current president began a series of artefact workshops. So, as the worlds of professional and research archaeology continue to change in Ireland and the UK, we should be prepared to add to what the UAS does, to adapt to what the members and non-‐members need and play our part in the advances of archaeological research in Ulster.
Duncan Berryman Newsletter Editor
Newsletter Online You can now view a digital version of the Newsletter, with additional content and colour images. Go to http://issuu.com/ulsterarcsoc to view the latest issue and the previous edition. We will also be emailing out a pdf copy to our members. Don’t forget, you can get the latest news about the Society’s events and activities by following us on Twitter and Facebook
http://tinyurl.com/uastwitter http://tinyurl.com/uasfacebook
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ULSTER ARCHAEOLOGICAL SOCIETY EVENTS Lectures 8pm Elmwood Building, Queen’s University Belfast Monday 27th May – Conor Brady (Dundalk IT): Old Questions and New
Technologies, The Hill of Slane Archaeological Project Monday 17th June – Liz Thomas (QUB): Ulster Workhouses: Manifestations of Poor
Law Ideologies Monday 30th September – Finbar McCormick (QUB): Struell Wells
OBITUARY C. W. “Bobby” Dickinson. Former Honorary President of the Ulster Archaeological Society (16th August 1928 -‐ 19th November 2012). Bobby Dickinson died on the 19th November 2012 shortly after his wife Mavis. The funeral was at Roselawn Crematorium and the service was led by Rev William Haslett of St John’s Newtownbreda. Both Bobby and Mavis were active and long-‐serving members of the Society, attending lectures, field trips and annual dinners until prevented by ill health. Bobby studied geography as a student but in the great tradition set by Estyn Evans at Queen’s, developed an abiding interest in archaeology. In 1951 he excavated with Dudley Waterman of the recently formed Archaeological Survey at the earthwork and towerhouse of Castle Skreen 1, in Lecale, Co. Down. In the following two years they excavated at the rath and motte site of Castle Skreen 2 in the same townland. By the time these sites were published (UJA 23, 1960 and UJA 22, 1959), Bobby’s professional career was firmly focussed on geography in which he lectured at Stranmillis College of Education, eventually becoming Head of Department. However, he kept abreast of both the management and post-‐war expansion of archaeology in the Province and this wealth of experience benefitted the UAS endlessly. Bobby had been on the general committee as recently as 2010 but served as our Honorary President from 1989 until 1994. It was on his watch that the Society first looked beyond the island of Ireland and ran a successful field trip to Scotland -‐ the precursor of what has become an established tradition. He also subsequently served as Vice President until 1999 and again from 2003-‐2009. Bobby was a genial and gentle man who deftly guided the Society over many years. His good sense, judgement and integrity will be greatly missed. The Society sends its condolences to Fiona and Charles and the family circle.
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SURVEY GROUP The 2013 season began with a report-‐writing session at Rowallane at the end of January. Several reports are nearing completion and one has recently been placed on the UAS website. This latest report relates to a site at the National Trust Divis property, known as Divis Farm and has been written by Janna McDonald and Michael Catney. As readers will see, this has been comprehensively researched and makes fascinating reading, particularly when all there is to see at the site are a few bumps on the ground! It should add significantly to the ever-‐expanding knowledge of this fascinating area. The new season has indeed hit the ground running, with a return to Rowallane in February. This time the group were treated to a detailed presentation and practical demonstration from John Meneely of Queen’s University about laser scanning. If only we had one of these! John is clearly very knowledgeable and enthusiastic about this and has already worked with the National Trust on several projects. Our thanks go to John for sharing his expertise with us and to Pat O’Neill for arranging the session. We hope John is serious about wanting to join the survey group. Our March outing has been programmed to take place at the Ulster Folk and Transport Museum at Cultra on Saturday 23rd. The aim is to investigate the vernacular houses there in order to better understand the remains that we find on site (as at Divis Farm, mentioned above). We will be looking at methods of construction, layout and use and if time permits, we hope to do some practical work such as preparing plans and elevation drawings. The session has been organised by our Newsletter Secretary, Duncan Berryman, who has a lot of expertise in this area, along with his many other talents. In April, we hope to participate in a public-‐outreach excavation, which may be taking place at the National Trust site at Divis, in conjunction with the Northern Ireland Environment Agency and the Belfast Hills Landscape Partnership. Arrangements for this are still being drawn up, so more details will hopefully follow soon. As our contribution to the event, we hope to carry out a site survey and plan of the area, as was done at the Belfast Hills Landscape Partnership Ballyaghagan excavation in 2011 (report on UAS website). In addition to all this, Mal Conway has a full list of sites he would like the survey group to investigate, so it looks like being another busy year. There will be plenty of opportunities for the members of the society to get involved in practical fieldwork, so why not come along and give it a go? For further information, see the UAS website or get in touch with any member of the committee.
Harry Welsh Fieldwork Co-ordinator
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UAS TRIP TO THE SPERRINS Claire Foley lead the Society to the Sperrins on a fine August Saturday. The first site we visited was Clougherny wedge tomb (H488945) and stone circle in North Tyrone. There was a long boggy walk onto high ground from where we were rewarded with fine views. Claire reminded us that megalithic tombs were the first major buildings in the Irish landscape. The wedge tomb is the last type in the megalithic tomb series dating from the late Neolithic/early Bronze Age transition. These tombs are less structurally complex consisting of a single chamber with lintels. Here, the tomb was probably constructed on grazing land on a south facing slope although more pollen cores need to be analysed in this area to get a better idea of vegetation cover. Subsequently the area was covered in peat and the tomb emerged again after hand cutting the scraws and peat to reclaim the landscape for low intensity grazing. The relationship between the wedge tomb and the circle attracted the attention of Oliver Davis who excavated the site in one week in 1937 with five men supported by a Belfast Museum grant and published it in UJA 1939. He found a barbed and tanged arrowhead (BA), burnt human bone but, unusually, no pottery. The tomb is orientated SW and at the front two side stones define an antechamber and a wide entrance. One capstone has been removed revealing a backstone and a fine, deep chamber. Most of the cairn material has been robbed out. Surrounding the tomb is a ring of standing stones and cobbles. The primary use of the tomb was for burial but survival of bone depends on the acidity of the soil. It would also have provided a ceremonial focus for scattered farming communities in the local area. Loughash wedge tomb (C843009) has a prominent split entrance, prominent out walling and traces of cup mark decoration. Oliver Davis excavated the site in 1938 over eight days using three men and found four Beaker pots (often associated with wedge tombs in the North) and five other vessels, a palstave mould, a copper ring (cf Largantea wedge tomb) and the cremated remains of three individuals. Banagher Church (C676066). There is a reference to a king being killed here in 1121 and a ballaun stone is evidence of a pre-‐Norman, 9/10th century use though the foundation is traditionally attributed to St Muiredach O’Heney (11th/early 12th century). By 1622 it was ruinous and was brought into State Care in 1880. Dudley Waterman extensively excavated the site in the 1970s and found the remains of a 15th century sacristy at the east end of the church. Outside the church site is a two-‐storey gate house or priests residence. There is a fine mortuary house in the graveyard – probably St Muiredach’s grave/shrine and the source of Banagher sand which brought good fortune. This would attract pilgrims and could be a useful source of income for the church. The west door of the church has an inscription by the antiquarian Buchanon but this gives a fictitious date of 474AD.
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The rectangular architrave has a semi-‐circular arch on the inside suggesting an early/mid 12th century date for the nave. The chancel arch is early 13th century and there is an elegant transitional window and sedile (seat) in the south wall. The exterior angles at the east end have reset decorative capitals. At Dungiven (C692083), the pre-‐Norman church attributed to St Nechtan (d.869AD) was succeeded by a 12th century Priory of Augustinian Canons. The nave and south window are early/mid 12th century but with a later tower at the west end. At the east end a chancel was added in the 13th century. In the 15th century further vaulting was added and windows in the west end of the nave. Foundations survive of a 17th century house outside the east end of the church on a spur overlooking a burn. This is identified on a Raven map as Doddington castle and was enclosed by a bawn wall. The west end of the church contains the 15th century tomb of Cooey-‐na-‐Gall O’Cahan surrounded by the heavily restored figures of six gallowglass soldiers.
Clogherny Wedge Tomb
Photos by Pat O’Neill
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Loughash Wedge Tomb
Banagher Old Church
Dungiven Priory
Tomb of Cooey-‐na-‐Gall O’Cahan
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NOVEMBER LECTURE The Society’s November lecture was given by Prof Brian Williams of Northern Ireland Environment Agency. Prof Williams has been a director in NIEA for many years and responsible for the Built Heritage department; having recently retired, he now sits on strategic development committees and advocates the importance of our heritage for the economic recovery of Northern Ireland. His lecture was entitled “The economic and social value of Northern Ireland’s historic environment”. Prof Williams began by explaining that a Historic Environmental Strategic Forum had been set up in 2007 by, then Minster of the Environment, Arlene Foster. This forum is chaired by the Minister of the Environment and has representatives from heritage and tourism NGOs. The aim of the forum was to promote the historic environment at a high level in the Northern Ireland government and to link it to the rest of society. One of the key aspects identified was that much of the Troubles were based on perceptions of identity and different heritages developed. Recently studies have been carried out on the value of the historic environment in Scotland and Ireland. A similar report was produced for Northern Ireland, funded by NIEA, the National Trust and NI Tourist Board. The final report was disseminated to senior administrators and decision makers across Northern Ireland. This raised awareness of historic assets for social development. The report was divided into a number of sections, each with a number of case studies, the first of which was “Economics”. Dunluce is one of the key visitor attractions in Northern Ireland and, in 2011, 10 acres of land next to the castle was bought. This will allow the ‘lost village’ of Dunluce to be fully investigated and exploited; potentially boosting visitor numbers from 80,000 currently to almost one million each year. Another icon of northern Irish heritage is St Patrick. With links to 31 counties across Ireland and an unmistakable image, St Patrick is easily marketed; recent research by Dr Finbar McCormick and Queen’s Univeristy students has helped to bring some of this heritage alive at Struell Wells. Under “Regeneration” Prof Williams identified a number of areas of Belfast where the restoration of the historic fabric has helped improve the city. The restoration of the Grand Opera House has gone some way in reviving the idea of the “golden mile” and Belfast’s heyday as a Victorian city. Cathedral Quarter and Royal Exchange have recently received much investment, with £12m spent on the renovation of the merchant hotel and many more buildings being renovated. This area sees many historic buildings sitting alongside new developments, such as St Anne’s Square and the MAC. There are also plans for a heritage corridor to run from Royal Exchange, up to Clifton House and on to Carlise Circus and Crumlin Road courthouse and jail.
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Under the heading of “Learning”, the Navan Centre was identified as an example of how heritage can be used to educate. The Navan Centre provides education for all sectors of society about our shared past and encourages a shared future. Navan demonstrates how our ancestors lived and helps all ages of visitors to understand what it would have been like to live in Ulster in the Bronze and Iron Ages. Under “Environment”, the network of waterways across Northern Ireland was seen as an economic success. Although it is unlikely that money will be available for a full restoration of the canal network, what has been done has helped local communities and had economic benefits. The Lock-‐Keeper’s café on the Lagan has traded very successfully since its opening and there are opportunities for the development of similar facilities elsewhere. The city of Derry was highlighted as an example of “Community and Cohsion”. The successful bid for City of Culture and the redevelopment of Ebrington Barracks demonstrate how far Derry has come from the difficult times of the Troubles. A peace bridge has been designed to link the city centre with Ebrington, one of the key entertainment venues for the City of Culture, and the walls are to be floodlit for the festival. The preservation of eleven listed buildings at Ebrington and the illumination of the walls highlights the importance of the historic environment to the community of Derry. The report’s figures show that the historic environment generates £532m each year, producing £250m profit for the country and supports 10,000 jobs. For every £1 of public money invested, there is about £4 of private money invested. By comparison, Scotland’s historic environment generates £1bn and the UK as a whole is £20bn. Northern Ireland needs to work hard to develop the heritage sector and increase the profit. The first recommendation to achieve this is to develop a coherent strategy to realise the potential of the historic environment. This strategy must be supported by the NGOs and government departments, and with the reform of public administration, heritage becomes more important at a local level. The second recommendation is to increase public funding to realise the economic and social benefits of the historic environment. Once public funding is in place, private funding will follow; this will save jobs and create economic growth. Tourism accounts for less than a third of the £532m income, yet in Ireland it is 70%; thus this is an area that needs much development. Apps for smartphones might be a method of bringing a younger audience to the historic environment. The involvement of local history groups is another area that can lead development by identifying areas and landscapes with potential and bringing these to the attention of the local administration. Therefore, we can all have a part to play in the economic recovery of Northern Ireland.
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REVIEW OF OPEN DAY AT DRUMCLAY CRANNOG Last month I had the pleasure of attending an open day at the Drumclay crannog excavation. The whole day was extremely well organised by Enniskilen Museum and NIEA. There was a very interesting presentation about what crannogs were and what we know about them. During the presentation and in one of the rooms of the museum were images of many of the most interesting and attractive objects that have been found so far. Many of the most interesting objects are mundane, everyday items that were given a little ornamentation or artefacts that tell us more about the lifestyle of the occupants. The crannog appears to have been in use from at least the seventh century. A comb from one of the earliest layers has a circular decoration that reflects artefacts I've seen from other parts of Ireland and even across the Viking world. The excavators have had an almost impossible task, coping with regular flooding of the site and working in the freezing weather. As well as the climate, the layers of the site have shifted at an angle, making excavations and onsite interpretation more difficult. The second part of the visit was a trip to the site. Here we could look down on the excavation, as it is a few metres below ground level; we could see the wealth of archaeology on the site and its complexity. The preservation was really good, similar to that at Viking Dublin and Deer Park Farms. Post and wattle structures are clearly visible, many with stone hearths. The excavators were also on hand to show and talk about a number of the finds, from quern stones, to knives, wooden barrels and fossilised faeces, even a small wooden gaming piece. The preservation of many of these items is very rare and it tells us a lot about the people who lived on this crannog. I was really impressed by the number of people who came to the open day, and many had travelled quite a distance. There were many members of the UAS there, but there was also a considerable number of locals who were interested in finding out more about this internationally important site on their doorstep. Many of these visitors did not know what a crannog was, but the media had sparked their interest in this piece of their heritage. If there had not been so much media coverage of this site, would so many people have been interested in it? Probably not. And would so much time and money have been invested excavating it to uncover these important finds? Possibly not. I was talking to a lady who lived near the excavation and she asked why the road could not have been moved to avoid the crannog. This reminded me of one of the paradoxes of archaeology. If we preserved the site by moving the road, we would still have the site but we would have learnt nothing from it, all those amazing finds would still be in the ground. Without excavation we cannot understand the people of the past, which is the whole point of archaeology. What would be really useful now would be to excavate another crannog to see if Drumclay was unique or were all crannogs, and possibly all early medieval sites, this rich in material culture.
Duncan Berryman
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DECEMBER LECTURE The Society’s December lecture was given by Robert Chapple, formerly site director for Northern Archaeology Consultancy and currently runs his own blog (rmchapple.blogspot.co.uk) along with the Irish Radiocarbon and Dendrochronological Dates Database and the Billy Dunlop Archaeological Photo Archive (sites.google.com/site/chapplearchaeology). Robert’s lecture was entitled “A unique Middle Bronze Age cemetery at Oakgrove, Co. Londonderry”. The site of Oakgrove is on the south bank of the Foyle, to the north-‐east of Londonderry. Excavations were carried out on the site in advance of a school development. Many surface finds turned up and fuller investigation was required. The most recent occupation of the site had been as a structure for metalworking. There was evidence of a hearth and around it were multiple lines of post holes, indicating some form of windbreak. The wood charcoal taken from the fire dated it to the Iron Age and there are parallels to similar Iron Age sites elsewhere. Surrounding the main part of the site was a narrow enclosure ditch, 70.42m in length and less the 1m in width and depth. The excavators took 47 box sections through the ditch. In the eastern segment of the ditch, was a large post pit that pre-‐dated the ditch and contained a sherd of Bronze Age pottery. The post contained in this pit would have stood about 3.75m tall, it would have been highly visible and is likely to have been decorated. Parallels can be drawn with Native American totem poles; there are very few similar artefacts in Ireland, but an anthropomorphic figure carved on a 3m ash trunk built into a Longford trackway might be one such example. The posthole had been filled in by the time the ditch was carved out of the shale. Interestingly, the shale was left rough, but a polishing stone was found in the only part of the ditch that had been worked smooth Many fragments of pottery were found across the site. Seventeen vessels were identified from 33 sherds, one of which was a cinerary urn. The sherds were spread around the ditch and most pots were distributed around the ditch, but there were concentrations in the north-‐eastern section. Very few flint or stone artefacts were found in the ditch. This may indicate that different rituals were taking place at different parts of the enclosure. This large enclosure was the outer enclosure of the site, with a possible entrance in the south where the stone had been worked smooth. There was a kink in the ditch where the large post hole had been, clearly to accommodate it within the enclosure. There may also have been a palisade within the ditch, but there was no evidence of postholes. This outer ditch may have been constructed late in the occupation of the site and had been built to enclose an older sacred space, marked out by the inner enclosure and the ancient posthole. The inner ditch was 12.2m in diameter, making it a comparative size to Bronze Age houses. Within the ditch were eight Bronze Age vessels and within the enclosure was a collection of cist graves making up a central cemetery.
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The central cemetery had fourteen atypical cists, some were lined with slabs, some had cap stone lids and some were not slab lined, but had pebbles embedded in their walls. Many of these cists contained cereal grains and a small number had Bronze Age pottery; these may have been the remains of a funerary meal. Only two of the cists contained human bone. Some of the cists that were not slab lined contained grain, thus these may have been cenotaphs that represent burials. There were a number of features within the outer enclosure, but outside the inner enclosure of the cemetery. These features included pits and slot trenches. Evidence of Bronze Age pottery was found in ten of these features, but none contained grain. There is the suggestion that these features made a very segmented circle in the north of the large enclosure. The pits may have been holes for orthostats, creating a rough stone circle. If it was another enclosure, it must be associated with a different form of ritual and ceremony. The function of the cists and the cemetery is rather unclear. The amount of bone deposited is only a tiny fraction of what would be expected from a male adult human – only 8g of an expected 2.3kg. This suggests that these may have been token deposits rather than full burials. There was a trend during the Bronze Age to bury less bone, but 8g seems rather extreme compared to that found at Loughbrickland. There are parallels for the deposition of grain and stone lined cists on other Bronze Age sites, but there are no comparisons for the site as a whole. The site was placed on a ridge and for part of its occupation had a 4m tall pole beside it; this indicates that it would have been quite visible within the landscape. This may suggest that the cemetery had been placed for the ancestors to protect the living and to lay claim to the land. However, only two of the fourteen cists contained bone and twelve contained grain. This makes it more likely that the rituals were about the deposition of grain and returning it to the earth. Cremation of the grain may have similar properties to other forms of cremation and pass the grain over into the spirit world. Christian and Jewish harvest festivals have similar themes, in that, part of the crop is given over to the god; the Torah records the presentation of burnt offerings. One thing that archaeology cannot reveal is the rituals that accompanied the depositions of bone and grain. One parallel is the film ‘The Wicker Man’. Archaeology will show the charred wood and bone, but the singing, dancing and processions will be lost. The charred grains had evidence of abrasion, suggesting that they were not buried immediately after cremation, but were stored for some time. The same may be true of human bone. After death, bones may have become social artefacts and used in ritual or domestic contexts rather than being deposited in the ground. This interesting site has revealed occupation over about 1,000 years, with many different rituals and activities taking place over that period. From a large totem pole, to a small enclosure of cists containing grain to a much larger oval enclosure with numerous pits and a possible stone circle. The interpretive possibilities are endless, but the rituals of the Bronze Age people will remain an enigma.
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NIEA LECTURES Northern Ireland Environment Agency 2013 programme of public lectures in the Monuments and Buildings Record (MBR). The lectures will take place in the public reading room of Waterman House, 5-‐33 Hill Street, Belfast, BT1 2LA. Information: 028 90 543 159 or email [email protected]. Admission is free. All welcome. Space is limited at these talks, so please come early to avoid disappointment. Friday 3rd May -‐ Andrew McClelland, University of Ulster: Crisis and the Northern Ireland Heritage Revolution of the 1960s. Friday 7th June -‐ Ruairi O’Baoill, Centre for Archaeological Fieldwork: The Archaeology of Derry City and its Environs. Friday 5th July -‐ Jonathan Barkley and Colin Dunlop, Northern Archaeological Consultancy: Enigmatic Structures on the A8 Road Scheme. Friday 2nd August -‐Dr Geraldine Carville, Historian and Author: Secrets of Cistercian Music in Ireland 1142-‐1541: Cistercian Abbey Churches Where the Very Stones Sing the Psalms. Friday 20th September 1:00pm -‐ Liam McQuillan, NIEA: Consolidating Ruins: Some recent projects on Scheduled Masonry Monuments. 6:00pm -‐ Terence Reeves-‐Smyth, NIEA: The Flowering Legacy: The Parks and Gardens of the National Trust in Northern Ireland.
The Origins of the Irish The latest book by Prof. J. Mallory looks at a problem that has been in his mind since he was a student at UCLA. Beginning with the Big Bang, he quickly takes us through the geological origin of Ireland, its first settlers and farmers and traces the development of peoples through the Neolithic, Bronze Age and Iron Age. Mallory then moves to look at the native origin myths and the archaeological and linguistic evidence. Throughout the book, Mallory provides many archaeological examples to illustrate his discussion and combines these with his expertise of linguistics to create an engrossing story. Disentangling the threads of Irish history and myth is problematic and this is the first book to attempt it in nearly 80 years. But this book has the benefit of decades of excavation and discovery with Ireland and further afield, as well as developments in linguistic research. The writing is informative, yet entertaining and the high quality illustrations bring the text to life. This book is the result of decades of quality academic research and has been published in an equally high standard. It is essential reading for anyone interested in Irish history and archaeology, and will be of interest to anyone with some connection to Ireland more generally. Available now in hardback, priced £19.99, from all good bookshops; published by Thames & Hudson (www.thamesandhudson.com).
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Notes
DigVentures DigVentures are undertaking another season of excavation and field school. This year the target is Leiston Abbey in Suffolk. You can join the excavation or make a donation to support this excellent project. Public funded excavations look like a good way to carry out useful and interesting research projects that may not otherwise be funded.
Old Museum Arts Centre The Old Museum building requires some work to refurbish the structure and bring it up to modern specifications. Watch out for more information about this project and how you can support it in a future issue of the Newsletter.
Battle Re-enactment Group Is there anyone interested in joining a group to recreate warfare from a range of different periods of history. I would like to organise a multi-‐period historical re-‐enactment group in Belfast. The group can meet in the Ulster Museum and Botanic Gardens if weather allows. The group will promote Northern Ireland's history and history more generally. In the future, we could organise some live history festivals in Botanic Gardens. If you are interested in joining this group, please contact me (Sebastian) on my email – [email protected]
Field Trips for UAS Members Saturday 1st June – Day field trip: Co Louth Monday 24th June – Evening field trip: TBC Monday 5th August – Evening field trip: TBC Saturday 17th August – Day field trip: Circuit of the Mournes Mid September – Continental Trip: Portugal