|
Papers: List of Papers 2002-09 |
|
|
Living on the Edge - Skerries and the East Coast |
|
A look back at the sites of our ancient dead. Their eating habits can be discovered from finds on beaches. Last month's meeting of Skerries Historical Society in Keane's Bus Bar was around a talk entitled 'Living on the Edge - Skerries and the East Coast', given by Niall Roycroft. Niall, an archaeologist, talked about local archaeological sites on and near the cast coast. Most recently, Niall has been working on the area associated with the Ml Drogheda - Dundalk bypass and the AI/NI Newry - Dundalk Link.Illustrating his talk with a large number of slides, maps and photographs, he spoke of the passage tomb at Fourknocks and of the clusters of monuments around the main site. He talked about the site at Bremore, on the River Delvin. Many sites have been found on promontories such as Drumanagh, near Loughshinney. Most interestingly, there are also prehistoric burials at Barnageeragh, Skerries. We gained an insight into the lives of these early peoples - their lifestyles, everyday living, hunting, eating habits, and rites of burial. Their eating habits can be discovered from finds on the beaches - sea birds, brent, barnacle, wild geese, waders, seagull's eggs and shellfish. |
Inland, they would hunt wild boar and wood pigeons. Sites are often found near salmon rivers, such as those at Monanny, near Carrickmacross, with remains of buildings, querns, axes and pottery bowls. After the Stone Age, we find Bronze Age enclosures and houses. We find the Fulachta Fiadh or Burnt Mounds, at Legavooren on the Drogheda by-pass. There are numerous early Bronze Age burial sites for example Carn More, near Dundalk. We have an Iron Age Round House at Claristown, near Bettystown dating between 50 B.C. and 250 A.D. At Faughert Lower, near Dundalk enclosures have been found which include a cemetery with about 850 burials. These are partly stone lined graves. Sometimes one finds fully stone lined graves, where finds include brooches, combs and glass beads. We had a very interesting look into the way our ancestors lived and died. A vote of thanks on behalf of Skerries Historical Society was given by John Harte.' By Pauline Hanlon
|