Community archaeology day to be held at Brockagh centre

A COMMUNITY archaeology event will take place later this month in response to the growing interest in community-based archaeological and heritage recording in Co Wicklow.

The free, day-long seminar, organised by the Heritage Office of Wicklow County Council in association with the Heritage Council, will take place in the Brockagh Resource Centre in Laragh on Saturday, May 27.

As well as showcasing national initiatives such as the Heritage Council’s Adopt A Monument Scheme, the seminar will also focus on the work of local projects and groups, such as the Glendalough Heritage Forum, the Medieval Bray Project, the Glenmalure Pure Mile group and the Preban graveyard heritage committee.

The day will include a range of illustrated presentations, a short film screening and a workshop session. There will also be an option of a field trip to the nearby Glendalough Graveyard Trail, led by Joan Kavanagh.

Participants will also hear of opportunities to get involved in hands-on archaeological excavation under the supervision of UCD’s School of Archaeology at Glendalough in August, along with opportunities for submitting ‘rock art’ sitings to the Wicklow Rock Art project.

A presentation on the Spinans Hill Photogrammetry project will keep guests up to date will some of the latest archaeological initiatives. This project uses drone technology to capture high resolution aerial photographs to create a three dimensional model of Spinans Hill in Baltinglass, one of the largest archaeological monuments in Ireland.

‘We have a wealth of archaeology in county Wicklow and many groups and individuals are doing fantastic work to find out more about it, very often to facilitate the creation of heritage trails and signage as part of local tourism projects,’ said Deirdre Burns, Heritage Officer with Wicklow County Council. ‘Groups typically face similar challenges in sustaining their activities and this event will be a wonderful opportunity for different groups and individuals to share experiences’.

The event is free but booking is required. To secure a place, visit https://communityarchaeologywicklow.eventbrite.ie, email dburns@ wicklowcoco.ie or call 0404 20100. FORMER UK Prime Minister Tony Blair, and European Commission’s chief Brexit negotiator Michel Barnier will be in Wicklow this week, where they will join Taoiseach Enda Kenny at Druid’s Glen to discuss Brexit at a European People’s Party (EPP) meeting.

Irish Foreign Minister, and EPP leader Manfred Weber will also attend the event on Thursday and Friday.

Leader of the Irish delegation Seán Kelly MEP is hosting the EPP Group Bureau meeting.

Mr Kelly said that the meeting ‘provides an opportunity for deeper discussions and an exchange of views with Irish government representatives and as we look ahead to our negotiating objectives’.

EPP chairman Mr Weber will welcome attendees before the Taoiseach delivers a keynote speech tomorrow morning (Thursday, May 11). Brexit and objectives for the upcoming negotiations will be the main topic of a panel chaired by Esteban González Pons MEP, on Friday, May 12. Mr Blair will address attendees during the panel discussion. WICKLOW Local Sports Partnership has been allocated almost €150,000 in funding from Sport Ireland for 2017.

The figure was revealed by Minister of State for Tourism and Sport Patrick O’Donovan last week as he announced an investment package of over €5.9m from Sport Ireland to support the 29 Local Sports Partnerships (LSPs) nationwide.

The Wicklow LSP will receive €147,476 for its core work plus €2,310 to support its Women in Sport programmes.

The key aims of the LSPs are to increase levels of participation in sport, especially amongst specific target groups such as older people, girls and women, people with disabilities, unemployed people, and those who live in identified disadvantaged communities.

Throughout 2016, 291,947 people took part in 861 participation programmes delivered by LSPs, with 18,500 participants taking part in the Operation Transformation 5k fun runs and walks and 15,500 cyclists taking part in the An Post Cycle Series.

This year €115,000 will be invested in LSPs through the Women in Sport Programme.