Skeleton found in Clare cave reveals tragic life story
A human skull discovered by cavers in a cave outside Ballyvaughan village in the Burren in 2011 prompted a rescue archaeological excavation funded by the National Monuments Service of the Department of Arts, Heritage, Regional, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs.The full scientific investigations of the skeleton have just been published revealing incredible details about the boy’s […]
Hoard of Islamic silver coins found in Sweden
An interesting find from Uppland in Sweden where archaeologist working for Arkeologikonsult have uncovered a hoard of 163 Islamic coins. Fashioned out of silver, the coins contain Arabic script and the majority were minted in Samarkand, an Islamic state which was located in modern day Uzbekistan and Iran. They date from the mid-10th century AD and […]
A Traditional Irish Woven Straw Hen’s Nest
Woven out of plaited straw, this hen’s nest represents an object that was once commonly seen on Irish farms. Typically oaten straw was used to weave the objects, but on occasion wheat or barley straw was also employed. The nests were normally placed in a dark room/space, often in an outhouse, where the hens were […]
A 12th century dog collar from Waterford city
This rare 12th century dog collar was found by archaeologists working in Waterford city. Fashioned out of bronze, it originally had a leather backing, which attached to the metal via six holes. It is thought that it may have been worn by a hunting dog such as greyhound. Similar, though less ornate dog collars are […]
Animal ‘Sacrifice’ and Blood Letting, Saint Martin’s Feast in Ireland
Today, the 11th of November, is the feast of St. Martin of Tours. He was a particularly popular saint in Ireland and up until quite recently his feast (Martinmas) was surrounded by a number of superstitions and customs. These included a rather gruesome tradition, at least to modern eyes, which involved animal ‘sacrifice’ and blood […]
Excavating a Prehistoric Tomb at the Hell Fire Club, Dublin
Last week I visited a fascinating archaeological dig in the Dublin mountains, where Neil Jackman of Abarta Heritage is excavating the remains of suspected Neolithic tomb. The site is located on prominent hill overlooking the city, right beside one of Dublin’s most infamous buildings, the Hell Fire Club. Built in 1725, this large stone structure […]
Earliest Depiction of a Witch on a Broomstick
This colourful illustration is the earliest know depiction of a witch riding a broomstick. It is taken from an enormous, 24,000 verse, poem known as ‘Le Champion des Dames‘ (The Champion of Ladies), which was composed by Martin Le Franc sometime between AD 1440 and 1442. This rambling text extols the virtues of women, while also condemning […]
Heritage Council welcomes €1 million in extra funding
There was welcome news in yesterday’s budget, when an additional €1 million in funding was allocated to the Heritage Council. The Heritage Council is a public body that aids local communities to take responsibility for and participate in the development and conservation of their heritage assets, both natural and cultural. According to Michael Starrett, the Chief […]
Badger uncovers ancient human remains in Co. Cavan
Interesting news from Cavan where ancient human remains have been unearthed by a badger digging close to a prehistoric tomb. The human bones were identified by a local historian Séamus Ó hUltacháin and number of archaeologists including Sam Moore (IT Sligo), Vicki Cummings (University of Central Lancaster) and Colin Richards (University of Manchester). The remains […]
Millions of Irish family records released on-line today
Important news for anyone interested in researching their Irish ancestors. From today millions of historic personal records will be available on-line, free of charge. The records of births, marriages and deaths are being released by the General Register Office on irishgenealogy.ie. The expanded database includes the Birth Records Indexes from 1864 to 1914, the Marriage Records […]