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TERRYLAND CASTLE UPDATE

Via the Galway City Museum facebook page – UPDATE: Archaeological Discoveries at Terryland Castle, Galway (click the photo’s to embiggen…)

“Galway City Council is constructing a multi-modular ramp to provide safe access from the Dyke Road to the Quincentennial Bridge. Funding from the National Roads Authority has facilitated this work.

A number of archaeological finds have been made and an archaeological company has been engaged to investigate these finds. Moore Group has been engaged along with an Osteo-archaeologist, Linda Lynch, at the site where at least six burials have been discovered. A number of other possible grave-cuts, pits and features have also been found. A row of three nails which possibly formed a line of coffin nails suggest that the burials are of late medieval or post-medieval date. Some 17th century pottery, window glass, clay pipe stems and possible glazed oven brick have also been recovered from the same general level as the burials.

Apart from these a knife, a buckle and other finds have been made from disturbed contexts.

An interesting range of prehistoric stone lithics or tools made from chert and flint have also been recovered. These fascinating finds have a possible date range from the Late Mesolithic (Middle Stone Age) through the neolithic (New Stone Age) and perhaps as late as the Early Bronze Age. These include a characteristic Hollow Scraper tool of Neolithic type.

The finds have been made in the same field as Terryland Castle. There was a Castle here at a fording point in the river Corrib from the 16th Century onwards. There was another castle on the opposite side of the ford at Newcastle, parts of which also survive. The present Castle at Terryland however is really a later Fortified House of early 17th century date which was the property of the Earls of Clanricard, descendants of the De Burgos who came to Galway in the 13th century.

Terryland Castle was garrisoned during the rebellion of 1641 and again during the Cromwellian Wars in 1652. It was occupied by a joint force of Irish and French troops who defended the outworks of the Castle against the approaching Williamite Army in 1691. After a short defence and a skirmish during which several people were killed the Irish and French burnt the castle and retreated into the walled town of Galway. Later, a house – Terryland House – was constructed nearby and its ruins are visible nearby.

There is speculation that the burials might relate to one of the 17th century wars mentioned above or that they form part of a private burial ground for the owners of the Castle and estate. More details will emerge as the excavation proceeds and an account of the excavation and its finds will be published as soon as possible.

The Galway City Council’s Heritage Office and Engineers along with the National Roads Authority Archaeologist are working closely with the site Archaeologist and the licensing Authorities in the National Monuments Service and National Museum of Ireland to facilitate the recovery of vital finds and information from what is proving to be a very historic and important archaeological site. The contractors have fenced off the site for the duration of the site works and excavations. All enquiries regarding the site may be directed to Garry McMahon, P.R.O. or Dr. Jim Higgins, Heritage Officer, Galway City Council, City Hall, College Road, Galway. (091) 536547.”

Feb 25, 2013 | Categories:About Archaeology, News | Tags: archaeology, galway, Terryland Castle | 3 Comments »

IRELAND’S PATRON SAINT OF BEER

Today marks the festival day of Imbolc, a pagan Gaelic festival celebrating the beginning of Spring. The date has been Christianised as the feast day of St. Bridget, one of Irelands better known Saints, who has inherited much of the folklore associated with the Goddess Brigid. The word Imbolc probably derives from the Irish ‘i mbolg’ meaning “in the belly”, which is apt considering Bridgets association with beer (more below).

According to early sources Imbolc was celebrated with great feasting – a cultural tradition in Ireland which we’ve referred to frequently in this blog… a tradition that can possibly be traced back to the introduction of the Beaker culture in or around 2500BC. It’s been suggested that the introduction of the Beaker was part of an overall new cultural package in Ireland which included drinking kits and archery. As J.P. Mallory notes in his recent book, ‘The Origins of the Irish’, if these beakers were for consuming alcohol, “Irish national pride is certainly upheld, as Ireland has yielded what is just about the largest Beaker in Europe… (one) which would have yielded about 9.5 litres.”.

And of course, this coincides with the introduction of the fulacht fiadh, the hot stone technology which we have proposed were mash tuns used for the preparation of ale…

But, having digressed a little further back than intended, lets return to Bridget and the beer..

Bridget founded a monastery at Kildare and was known as a beer loving Saint – According to Cogitosus, who wrote the oldest extant Life of Saint Brigit, Vita Sanctae Brigidae, around 650, she assisted some lepers in their beer needs:

^{… this venerable Bridget was asked by some lepers for beer, but she had none. She noticed water that had been prepared for baths. She blessed it, in the goodness of her abiding faith, and transformed it into the best beer, which she drew copiously for the thirsty. It was indeed He who turned water into wine in Cana of Galilee who turned water into beer here, through this most blessed woman’s faith.}

We’ll let Zythophile explain this miracle:

Cogitosus, of course, was keen to chalk the bathwater-into-beer event up as a miracle, just like the one at the wedding at Cana, but there is, in fact, a possible non-miraculous explanation for how St Brigid was able to make the thirsty lepers happy. A record of a fire at the monastry of Clonard in Ireland around AD787 speaks of grain stored in ballenio, literally “in a bath”, which seems to mean the grain being soaked as part of the initial processes of malting. What St Brigid drew off, I’d suggest, may have been water from the ballenium where the grain was steeping in the first stage of malt-making.

That sounds an awful lot like a fulacht fiadh to us… Perhaps what Bridget was making was an Irish Sahti, using a wooden trough to mash her milled malted barley…

Her love of beer is perfectly summed up in this 10^th century poem which is attributed to her, adapted by Brendan Kennelly and excerpted below:

I’d like to give a lake of beer to God.

I’d love the heavenly

Host to be tippling there

For all eternity.

I’d love the men of Heaven to live with me,

To dance and sing.

If they wanted, I’d put at their disposal

Vats of suffering

……….

I’d sit with the men, the women and God

There by the lake of beer.

We’d be drinking good health forever

And every drop would be a prayer.

Amen to that….

Feb 01, 2013 | Categories:About the Beer | Tags: ale, ancient brewing, Beer, Brigid, St. Bridget | 1 Comment »

NEWS

Eagle eyed observers will have noticed that Moore Marine has been removed from our front page – there’s still some evidence in the form of logos and tabs but we’re working on removing same..

This is because Moore Marine Ltd. is now part of a new, unrelated company – GeoMara Ltd.

For all enquiries relating to underwater archaeology please visit their website at http://www.geo-mara.com/

Moore Group will continue to provide ecological services in the marine, lacustrine and riverine fields but we recommend you visit GeoMara for all your underwater archaeological or geosurveying requirements.

Jan 25, 2013 | Categories:News | Leave A Comment »

New website on Ireland’s hoverflies

From the National Biodiversity Data Centre:

In collaboration with Dr Martin Speight the National Biodiversity Data Centre is delighted to announce that the Irish Pollinator Initiative has been expanded and now includes information on Irelands hoverflies. ‘We are delighted to have been able to work with Martin Speight, one of the top syrphid experts in Europe, to make such valuable information on Irish hoverflies freely available’ said Dr Úna FitzPatrick of the Data Centre.

There are approximately 900 species of hoverfly known from Europe, with 180 of them occurring in Ireland. The new website contains a wealth of information including:

–     General information on hoverflies in Ireland and how to recognise them
–     Detailed species accounts for all 180 Irish hoverflies, including distribution maps and photographs of the species
–     Information and resources on Syrph the Net, an innovative species predictive tool used across Europe and developed by Martin Speight, that employs hoverfly assemblages in assessing the biodiversity maintenance potential of sites, and in identifying site management priorities.
–     Keys for the identification of adult European Syrphidae that can be freely downloaded

The launch of the website coincides with the creation of a national hoverfly database by Dr Martin Speight and Dr Tom Gittings that is available to view through Biodiversity Maps. Martin Speight is running two workshops on hoverfly identification as part of the Data Centre’s biodiversity workshop programme in 2013.

Dr Martin Speight has said “hoverflies are fascinating insects with complex life histories, and can be found in a wide range of habitats within Ireland. Not only do they carry out an important role in ecosystem services through pollination, but the assemblage of syrphids found on a site can be used to evaluate how well that site is functioning from a biodiversity perspective. Hoverflies are increasingly being used as tools in this way. A surprising amount is now known about Ireland’s hoverflies. But there’s still plenty to find out!”

There has never been a better time to learn about these fascinating insects. Visit the website here: http://pollinators.biodiversityireland.ie

Jan 17, 2013 | Categories:News | Leave A Comment »

Nollaig shona, Happy Christmas and all that…

Moore Group would like to wish all our readers, clients and friends a very Happy Christmas and a successful 2013. We’ve been very quiet on the blog for a while now – for the simple reason that we’ve been extremely busy. Although the beginning of 2012 was slow we’ve experienced a big surge in business in the latter part of the year. Given that there are fewer of us, getting time to blog in that period has been a challenge, but we fully resolve to get going again in the new year. Twitter has proven to be a less cumbersome way of disseminating the various bits of news and you’re welcome to follow us there – just search for @mooregroup

And in our now annual tradition here’s Chris’ Little Drummer Boy film for your Christmas viewing.