10 years on and lots of crannog’s artefacts remain in cold storage
Department confirms that there are plans to increase the amount of priceless finds from important site on show to the public
TEN years after the discovery of an ancient crannog site in Enniskillen, many of the artefacts yielded by the site remain in storage facilities.
The Drumclay crannog site was first uncovered in 2012 during the construction of the Cherrymount Link Road. This week, The Impartial Reporter queried the whereabouts of the artefacts recovered from the site, and plans for their display.
A collection of the priceless items uncovered are on display in Enniskillen Castle Museum as part of the Lakelands Gallery, and are also part of the ‘Life in Early Times’ schools education programme.
Recovered
A spokesperson for the Department of Communities (DFC) said: “Some 6,000 artefacts were recovered over the course of the excavation, including finds of antler, amber, bone, glass, leather, metal, pottery, stone, textile and wood.
“This includes complete objects as well as the remains of broken objects that were used and disposed of or lost during the occupation of the crannog.
“Many of the objects were manufactured on-site and this is demonstrated by the recovery of wood, leather and metal-working waste in particular.
“Over 3,000 sherds of pottery were recovered – sherds represent the remains of pots, not individual vessels.
“Examples of bone combs, glass beads, decorative metal pins and tools are on display in Fermanagh County Museum. With the exception of the wooden items undergoing conservation, all the artefacts are stored in Enniskillen.”
When asked the location of items that are not on display, the DFC spokesperson said: “The majority of the wooden objects are undergoing conservation at the AOC
Archaeology Group conservation laboratory in Edinburgh, with some also being conserved at Cardiff University’s conservation facility. There are currently no facilities for wood conservation in Northern Ireland.
“Some of the large stone objects – for example, quern stones, as well as environmental samples [soil] – are in a secure leased storage facility in Enniskillen, maintained by IAC, the archaeological consultancy firm commissioned to bring the post-excavation work and reporting to a conclusion.
“The remaining artefacts are in storage or on display in Fermanagh County Museum in Enniskillen Castle.”
There are plans to increase the number of items on display at the museum, and planning has begun for a temporary exhibition in 2024.
The DFC spokesperson continued: “Working in partnership with Fermanagh County Museum, the intention is to increase and rotate the number of artefacts within the existing display and complementary public activity programmes.
“A temporary exhibition on Drumclay Crannog is being planned for autumn, 2024, to showcase and interpret more of the Drumclay archive and to highlight the conservation and research that has taken place.”
When asked if there are plans for the Drumclay artefacts to be displayed outside of Co. Fermanagh, the spokesperson said: “The Department is fully committed to the retention of the Drumclay archive in Fermanagh, with Fermanagh County Museum providing a permanent home for the assemblage.
“The intention of museum staff is that Drumclay will be a living archive and accessible to the public on site through public programmes and outreach activities.”