Farmers urged to be careful as raft of ancient sites discovered across Ireland

IRELAND is in a golden age for archaeological discoveries as new technology and droughts expose thousands of ancient sites and monuments.

According to Teagasc researcher and archaeologist Robert O’Hara, new sites are being identified all the time through archaeological excavation, chance discoveries on farms, and by the use of satellite and drone imagery.

He says there were over 1,500 reports of new sites to the Archaeological Survey of Ireland (ASI) last year.

Cropmarks traces of a monument that no longer appear at the surface but may still be visible in aerial images through differential crop growth are particularly obvious during dry spells.

Careful stewardship

“The vast majority are on privately held farmland and survive, as they have for centuries, through the awareness and careful stewardship of farmers,” said Mr O’Hara.

“Agri-environment schemes like REPS and GLAS have given guidance to farmers on securing and preserving archaeological sites.”

As part of an ongoing project looking at grassland management histories, the Spatial Analysis Unit in Ashtown has been examining photographic archives from Ordnance Survey Ireland taken in 1995, 2000 and 2005, as well Google Earth images from the last decade.

They have identified over a dozen ‘new’ archaeological sites.

Among the most exciting discoveries are two deserted medieval settlements.

At Kilcurly, Adare, Co Limerick, earthworks were identified over several hectares beside a medieval church. Several circular enclosures and rectangular building foundations are visible.

A second settlement was identified at Cloonastiallas, Co Roscommon, where several rectangular house plots flank a 170-metre long ‘street’.

In Kerry, the discovery of a ‘barrow’ burial site epitomises the proper stewardship of archaeological sites, according to Mr O’Hara the farmer has avoided impact during farm operations and drainage.

“Although the site is not formally listed in the records of the ASI, the farmer has gone to the trouble of avoiding the site during farm operations, including field drainage,” he said.

Mr O’Hara warned that many unrecorded sites are vulnerable to unwitting destruction through land improvement or hedge clearance.

He said ASI records are updated as new sites are discovered, so landowners should inform themselves of all sites on their land before carrying out works that may damage archaeological remains.

“There are severe penalties for unlawful interference with or damage to archaeological monuments,” he said.

Uncovering our past:

The ancient settlement at Cloonastiallas, Co Roscommon

‘There are severe penalties for unlawful interference with or damage to archaeological monuments’