Fermanagh Crannog in peril

mudmonkey

I would like to make it known that a crannog site in Co. Fermanagh will be destroyed within a week.

An excavation has been undertaken on the site for the past six weeks however the timescale set for the dig (4-6 weeks) was hopelessly inadequate. The result being that come the deadline, this Friday 20th, the archaeologists will be forced to leave this important site, with perhaps half the archaeology unexcavated and unrecorded, and the heavy plant machinery will move in and obliterate it.

I realise that this is a forum based in the Republic and not in the North but all attempts to involve the relevant agencies in this jurisdiction have been redundant.

Does anyone have any suggestions on how to sway the Roads Authority and the NIA towards giving this rare crannog excavation the time needed to be completed and recorded properly?

slowburner

Obviously, the more people that know about it, the better the chance of some form of an extension to the deadline.
Sorry to say that I wouldn't be too optimistic about the chances of any sort of campaign - with only two days left.
Your only chance now is to raise awareness in the media, and for that you'll have to get on to the phone.

Of course there are other legitimate ways to protest, but this is not the place to discuss them.

mudmonkey

I agree, the chances of getting an extension are slim to none. However, if we can raise awareness of the inadequacies performed by the Road Service and the NIA to the archaeology in this instance the outcome for other sites may not be so dire.

mudmonkey

Also, I do not believe that an out-and-out protest is the way forward, it only antagonises and deepens disrespect. I do think that people should be informed of the way the authorities disregard our important sites in this manner. Nobody wants to stop the road being built nor even have it rerouted, just the opportunity to excavate and record thoroughly and properly.

M three

Have you a link? What road is being built that goes over this site?

mocmo

Here is Robert Chapples blog about the situation, he will be on BBC Ulster in the morning talking about the site

http://rmchapple.blogspot.ie/

and a link to some photos;

https://plus.google.com/photos/116639488307477159171/albums/5766587580735735217?authkey=COCFm_Tg1ZCLSg

mudmonkey

The fate of the crannog has been decided and it is not a happy one. The archaeologists were granted 2-3 extra days and the site will then be left for destruction by machines. With over 50% of the archaeology still in the ground the loss of potential information is nothing less than an atrocity.
Shame on NIA, what are they being paid to do?

richban

The Heritage Journal (UK based) seem to campaign for such sites and might help you spearhead an attack!
http://heritageaction.wordpress.com/

If EU money is even partially funding road there may be an argument for allowing completion of excavation. Maybe contact the local MEP.

The photos are great - best of luck

richban

The Heritage Journal (UK based) seem to campaign for such sites and might help you spearhead an attack!
http://heritageaction.wordpress.com/

If EU money is even partially funding road there may be an argument for allowing completion of excavation. Maybe contact the local MEP.

The photos are great - best of luck

slowburner

mudmonkey wrote: »

The fate of the crannog has been decided and it is not a happy one. The archaeologists were granted 2-3 extra days and the site will then be left for destruction by machines. With over 50% of the archaeology still in the ground the loss of potential information is nothing less than an atrocity.
Shame on NIA, what are they being paid to do?

How was the extension achieved?
It is a sorry state of affairs. This link (although a different situation) shows just how long a detailed excavation of a crannóg could take.

Is there any way that an appeal to a higher authority could be made?
Might there be some EU mechanism to provide a stay of execution?
I feel sure that a clever lawyer could find something here http://conventions.coe.int/Treaty/en/Treaties/html/143.htm
Without doubt, the spirit of the EU convention has been thrown out the window.

munchkin_utd

slight tangent, but dont builders take their holidays at this time of year meaning there is going to be a 2 or 3 week stop on any construction work in August anyhow?
Surely they could wait till after this break which would give the archiologists a fighting chance of recording a decent amount of what is there.

I fear their worry is that something valuable or interesting will be found that would throw the project into doubt, so the less time there is to dig the less chance there'll be something interesting found !

mudmonkey

'Cherrymount Crannog Crisis' group page now on facebook

mocmo

Positive news, construction has been halted to allow the excavation to be completed

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-northern-ireland-19053339

slowburner

mocmo wrote: »

Positive news, construction has been halted to allow the excavation to be completed

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-northern-ireland-19053339

Good news indeed..
It sounds like a site with a story to tell.
Any idea on what swayed the authorities?

richban

well done to MUDMONKEY - great result to all concerned!

slowburner

Update on the Drumclay, Cherrymount crannóg here (Robert M. Chapple's blog).
http://rmchapple.blogspot.co.uk/2012/11/drumclay-cherrymount-crannog-in-crisis.html

slowburner

More news from Fermanagh, about potentially important finds.
The site may have been continuously occupied from the C9th to C17th, perhaps even earlier.


http://www.u.tv/news/Significant-finds-at-Fermanagh-dig/591e8f43-c56b-434f-bdf7-2bff7a11ab98

robp

slowburner wrote: »

More news from Fermanagh, about potentially important finds.
The site may have been continuously occupied from the C9th to C17th, perhaps even earlier.


http://www.u.tv/news/Significant-finds-at-Fermanagh-dig/591e8f43-c56b-434f-bdf7-2bff7a11ab98

Absolutely phenomenal to see the scale of it.

Pretty cringe worthy though, when the SDLP minister can't pronounce crannog.

slowburner

Some of the finds are shown here
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-northern-ireland-20540379

slowburner

It seems the crannóg may yet be the subject of controversy:

(Mr Elliot is the Minister for Regional Development)

Mr. Elliott is concerned that if Environment Minister Alex Attwood grants the archaeologists until June to complete their work it will add over £2 million to the cost and the road won't actually open until next August.
Mr. Attwood is due to announce today (Thursday) "spectacular finds" at the crannog and there have been hints that it will "re-write the history books".
His spokesman said: "There have been a number of significant discoveries at the Drumclay Crannog excavation which are reshaping our understanding of medieval life at these kinds of sites."
Mr. Elliott acknowledges that the excavation is revealing "important stuff" and that the archaeologists are "extremely excited and believe this will make history".
However, he believes the archaeology has to be balanced against the additional cost and the delay in opening the road.
He thinks the Cherrymount Link should have been better planned from the outset and either a bridge built over the site or a different line taken for the road.
"If it was so important I think they should have had it better plotted and mapped," he says.
He believes it may be time for the archaeologists to take the finds they have made so far and call it a day.
"The rest can be left intact for people in 400 or 500 years time," he suggests.
"There comes a stage when you have to say: 'We do have to move on.' They could at any stage bury the remainder and leave it for another generation," says Mr. Elliott.

http://www.impartialreporter.com/news/roundup/articles/2012/11/29/398994-spectacular-finds-may-see-road-delayed-to-august-and-extra-2m-cost/

slowburner

Drumclay could yet turn out to be the most important early Medieval excavation on this island.
The stratified sequence may be up to 5m deep.
The 2.5m sequence already excavated has yielded some 4,000 exceptionally well preserved finds.
The preservation is so outstanding in the 4/5 early medieval roundhouses that not only have the post and wattle walls survived, but the 'insulation' (moss and bracken) has survived too. Even the grass sods from the collapsed roofs have survived.
Wooden walkways linked the houses which surround a central courtyard.

It must have been a tough enough place to live. There must have been a day to day battle with wet muck.
Which begs the question: why was a crannóg some 30m from land, and only 30m in diameter occupied for 8 centuries?

Here's hoping that the importance of this site attracts the resources and time it demands.
Here's hoping the post ex work gets full support - when the site is out of the limelight, and the politicians lose interest.

slowburner

In case you missed it, Drumclay featured on this evening's 6 o'clock news on RTE - catch up here (skip to 20.45).

http://www.rte.ie/player/ie/show/10092333/

Thargor

Im in shock this is being destroyed to be honest, I thought that kind of thing wasn't allowed since we joined the EU, first Id heard of it on the 9pm News and I came in here to read more, I dont think they even said it was going to be destroyed or mentioned any objections on the news report!

Mountainsandh

He did mention it was going to be buried over by the bypass, is it definitive ? is there no chance at all that they may divert bypass and save the site ?
Surely tourism should be an incentive to save such places ?

I just don't understand it. Have you ever seen the signs in France, along the motorways ? For every castle, for every saved roman remains, for an old shoe factory, for an interesting bridge, for marshes, for old vineyards ... Every bit of heritage is promoted there, and it works. It makes it so much more interesting to stop by in small towns and villages that you would otherwise overlook.
Here is a site of massive interest, and yet it's going to be ... a road.
I love Ireland but I wish there was a bit more vision sometimes.
Anyway *sigh* rant over. Makes me sad. (edit : just had to get it off my chest)

slowburner

I couldn't agree with you more.
Your perspective as a non-Irish person, has great value.
Here, you are preaching to the converted - if you know what I mean.

Roads will always win out over heritage, sadly.
That's the way of the irish world. Money talks.
The amount of vested interests in construction projects on this scale and in this climate, makes archaeology look like a mouse fighting a lion.
It is extreme shortsightedness, nothing more.

On the plus side: we have to be grateful that the site is being excavated by a very capable team.
We also need to feel good about the fact that senior archaeologists have been listened to.
Above all, we should be grateful that the site survived the bulldozer.

InTheTrees

I watched rte news and saw the piece.

It wasnt until about three quarters of the way through the story that the reporter mention the whole site was going to be destroyed in a couple weeks???

Absolutely outrageous. Shocking. Unbelievable. Criminal even.

They cant do this surely?

:mad::mad:

slowburner

I don't think a deadline has been finalised just yet.

Work on building a road over the crannóg – an ancient dwelling built on an artificial island in a lake – located at Drumclay just outside Enniskillen, Co Fermanagh, was due to begin at the start of the new year. However, the SDLP Minister said extra time would be provided to allow the archaeologists to complete their excavation. Roadworks at the site were halted in June.
Mr Attwood did not specify how much more time would be allowed for the excavation.

http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/ireland/2012/1201/1224327340881.html

I heard a rumour that the team would be given an extension to Christmas.
That's not going to be enough time to get through to the early material.

ednwireland

i was at the open day last saturday, they are basically supposed to be finished by christmas but have another 2 meters of the struccture to go through they are pretty hopefull of an extension post christmas

(600 vistors through the site on staurday cant have harmed the cause)

they are hoping to get a dendro chronology for alder and ash from the site, they are also talking about rewriting the pottery timelines as well

Thargor

But still no hope of it actually being saved?

slowburner

Thargor wrote: »

But still no hope of it actually being saved?

It is being saved, in the sense that a highly competent team of archaeologists are doing all they can, to learn as much as they can, within severe time constraints.

All we can hope, is that the team are given enough time to get through the next stratigraphic sequences.
It's there that even more time will be needed.

The site is not being conserved.

ednwireland

Thargor wrote: »

But still no hope of it actually being saved?

they've gone through 3 metres of it so no

but to be honest they do have the 2 best people in the country (probably) as site director and assistant site director at this point so hopefully as much as can be learned from the dig will be.