Know Thy Place team up with the National Museum of Ireland

We are delighted to announce that the National Museum of Ireland have decided to stock our Know Thy Place charts in their Museum Shop from this month. Now you will be able to buy County and Ireland charts while visiting some of the archaeological objects that inspired them! As professional archaeologists ourselves, it is great for the Know Thy Place team to have the quality of our work acknowledged, and we hope to continue to work with the Museum in the future! All our charts our still available from our website as well, which you can check out here.

Our Know Thy Place Chart for Co. Cork, now available in the National Museum of Ireland

We have issued a press release to mark the occasion:

Begin a Voyage of Discovery:

Uncover the story of Ireland and your ancestral home

with Know Thy Place at the National Museum of Ireland

 Ireland has a long and glorious history. People first settled this wonderful land 9,000 years ago and have left their mark everywhere. If you’ve ever wondered what part your home place played in this wonderful story there’s good news, as visitors to the National Museum of Ireland can now explore their chosen county thanks to a unique heritage service called Know Thy Place.

The National Museum is delighted to introduce Know Thy Place’s ‘Ireland’ and ‘County’ charts, which will be available to purchase in the Museum shop from the end of March. Know Thy Place uses high quality archaeological research to provide an overview of the history and archaeology of Irish towns and regions from the earliest human settlers right up to modern times. The company’s archaeologists trawl through archives to track down every known monument in ‘thy place’ and the information is compiled into the story of your place from the earliest times, producing an end product of a beautifully illustrated wall chart which provides maps and information about the archaeology and history of the place.

Our Know Thy Place Ireland Chart, now available at the National Museum of Ireland

Studying our past has come a long way in recent years, particularly with regard to Ireland and Irish heritage, and Know Thy Place is perfect for anyone who really wants to explore the archaeology of Ireland. Speaking about the charts now available at the National Museum, Colm Moloney, Director of Know Thy Place said “If you want a general overview of the archaeology of Ireland, our ‘Ireland’ chart explains the development of settlement on the island from earliest times through to the present day, featuring some of the most famous archaeological sites in Ireland as examples; while our ‘County’ charts are ideal if you have not yet identified your ancestor’s exact town land, as they look at each of the 32 counties in more detail.”

Commenting on their introduction to the National Museum, Colm said “This new partnership is a real coup our team at Know Thy Place, as one of Ireland’s major archaeological institutions has recognised the great appeal and accuracy of our charts, each of which is prepared for the general reader by a professional archaeologist. We are also currently exploring the potential for the production of a range of exclusive charts for the Museum, focusing on some of the major objects and exhibitions on display, and this could prove a very exciting project for all involved.”

Know Thy Place’s ‘Ireland’ and ‘County’ charts are available, and retail for €19.99 and €39.99 respectively, pre-rolled and packaged for ease of transport from the Kildare Street shop. If you want to find out more about these and other charts available visit www.knowthyplace.com.

Hillforts, Ringforts & Hoards: The Archaeology of Ardagh, Co. Limerick

Know Thy Place Director Damian Shiels recently took the opportunity to explore some of the archaeology of the place where he grew up, near the village of Ardagh, Co. Limerick. The area is extremely rich in later prehistoric and early medieval heritage, and was the find spot of one of the most famous artefacts ever discovered on the island of Ireland.

The village of Ardagh, Co. Limerick

I was very fortunate to have an ‘archaeological view’ when I was growing up in Co. Limerick. Directly across from our front door it is possible to take in c. 2,000 years of history in a single glance. The first monument to catch your eye is the impressive banks and ditches of an early medieval ringfort, one of the many such homesteads that are dotted around the area. The view is dominated by the ‘Black Hill’, which overlooks this part of Limerick and from which you can see five counties (Limerick, Clare, Tipperary, Cork and Kerry). In 1981 analysis of an aerial photograph revealed banks and ditches surrounding the summit- the tell-tale signs of a hillfort, most probably dating to the Late Bronze Age some 3,000 years ago. The inner enclosure covers some 7.5 ha (18.5 acres) while the outer enclosure demarcates a huge 20.5 ha (50.5 acres), making this one of the largest known hillforts in Ireland.

The 'view across the road': Early Medieval Ringfort in The Commons, Ardagh, with the probable Late Bronze Age Hillfort of Ballylin, 'The Black Hill', in the background

While the ringfort and hillfort were a constant sight, neither was in the same townland as our house. My claim to fame growing up was that for many years our home was the only one in the townland of Reerasta South, the site of another ringfort. I have often visited the monument; today the banks and ditches on the western and eastern sides of the fort have been ploughed away, but those on the northern and southern side still stand to an impressive height.

The northern bank of Reerasta Ringfort, Ardagh with interpretive signage (and cattle trough!)

It may seem slightly odd to have once proudly proclaimed that ‘we are the only house in Reerasta South’ (and on reflection it was…), but, you see, Reerasta South had a claim to fame. One of the most notable events in the history of this part of rural Ireland took place here in 1868, when two youngsters, Paddy Flanagan and Jimmy Quin, were digging up potatoes in the ringfort. As they laboured away one of their spades struck what seemed to be a metallic object. Clearing away the soil to see what the obstruction was they discovered a small bronze chalice, which was clearly of significant antiquity. The boys wondered what else might be found, and continued the search. One can imagine their excitement as four silver-gilt brooches emerged from amongst the crop. However none of these objects were the star find- that was apparent at the moment of its discovery. Flanagan and Quin found a second chalice, this one made of precious metal and with some of the most exquisite decoration ever seen on an Irish object. This remarkable find has since become known as the ‘Ardagh Chalice’.

The Ardagh Hoard with the two chalices and four brooches. The stem of the smaller chalice was damaged when it was struck by a spade during its discovery in 1868

The two chalices are of 8th century date, while the brooches were manufactured sometime in the 9th century. It is possible that the objects were hidden during a Viking raid in the 9th or 10th century,with the individual who concealed them never returning to dig them up. The Ardagh Chalice is what is known as a calices ministeriales, a chalice used for giving wine to the faithful during mass. It is made up of hundreds of components and is heavily ornamented, using glass studs, silver inlays, gold filigree, a conical crystal and fabulous interlace and curvilinear designs. The main body is of silver, and the names of the apostles are inscribed on a band beneath the bowl. It is a unique masterpiece and represents the pinnacle of what could be achieved by early medieval Irish metalworking craftsmen.

Looking north from the interior of Reerasta Ringfort, with the 'Black Hill' Hillfort in the background. The hoard is thought to have been discovered in the western part of the fort

One wonders on each visit as to the circumstances of the deposition of these amazing artefacts, and why the people who hid them never returned to claim their property. Equally thoughts turn to the two boys who in 1868  after the passage of almost 1,000 years brought these objects to light. They did not gain from their find; Paddy Flanagan was later buried in a pauper’s grave in nearby Newcastle West, while Jimmy Quin had to emigrate to Australia to try to build a life.

Detail of the interpretive sign at Reerasta Ringfort detailing the discovery of the hoard

The Ardagh Chalice itself was bought by the Bishop of Limerick who in turn sold it to the Royal Irish Academy. It is now on display in the National Museum of Ireland, where it is one of the treasures of the collection. Virtually every Irish person is familiar with the style of the chalice, even if they have never seen it in person. Every year the winners of the G.A.A. All-Ireland Senior Football Championship take home the Sam Maguire cup, which is modelled on the Ardagh Chalice and was first presented to the All Ireland Champions (Kildare) in 1928. Unfortunately the Sam Maguire has yet to return to its true ‘home’ in Co. Limerick, as the county last won the Championship in 1896…still, there is always hope for 2012!

The Ardagh Chalice on display in the National Museum of Ireland

High Crosses, Craic agus Ceol – A Very Different Archaeo-tourism Experience!

Know Thy Place Director Colm Moloney recently took the opportunity to visit the fabulous early monastic site at Monasterboice, Co. Louth for the first time. He got much more than he bargained for when he entered the site, as he explains to us below!

The Round Tower, West Cross and Medieval Church at Monasterboice

My holidays in Scotland always begin with a mad dash up the new motorway from Cork to Belfast to catch the ferry to Stranraer. My wife and I decided to attempt to break the journey on our most recent trip by visiting an archaeological site neither of us had been to previously. Our choice was Monasterboice in County Louth (about 5 minutes off the M1).

An early sundial at Monasterboice

Our visit was prompted by pure chance – we stopped when the drive got tedious and simply picked the nearest site to our location. It happened to be Monasterboice, an early monastic site located a short distance to the north of Drogheda on the main Dublin-Belfast motorway. It was one of those unpleasant days, a mixture of driving rain and gentle mist – a typical Irish summer’s day! However the weather did add a dramatic backdrop to the monastic ruins, so not to worry. There is no charge to visit the site although there is a small wooden shed near the entrance which sells books and trinkets (including a useful academic account of the monuments by Helen M. Roe).

Information Board on the High Crosses at Monasterboice

When we approached the shed we were immediately engaged in conversation by a charismatic and enthusiastic local gentleman who appeared to be in charge of the shed – I am not sure if he worked there or just hung around to entertain tourists! He immediately started to tell us about the site, its history and the best approach to visiting the ecclesiastical remains considering the inclement weather. Halfway through his spiel, a second more elderly gentleman started belting out a few traditional Irish jigs and reels on a button accordion. When the first gent realised that my wife was Scottish he gave the musician the heads up and we moved seamlessly from Irish trad to Scottish folk. 

We left the music, the site narration and the shed and headed into the ecclesiastical complex. The site was founded in the 5^thcentury and is related to St Buithe. The surviving complex of structures centres on two medieval churches, a round tower and group of decorated high crosses. The site is still used as a cemetery so modern graves are interspersed with the archaeological remains.

In the Shed with my wife Louise, our host, and the Rock n' Roll Kids!

Although the churches and round-tower are of great interest, the high-crosses are spectacular. I had read about them and seen photographs, but the scale and detailed decoration of these amazing monuments is absolutely breathtaking when viewed up close and personal. Two of these are exceptional and rate amongst the best examples of their type in the country. Both probably date to the tenth century.

Me and Muiredach's Cross, Monasterboice

One of the crosses bears an inscription stating that it was erected by Muiredach and it is known as Muiredach’s Cross. This cross is simply massive, standing 5.5 m tall and heavily decorated with images from the bible including the crucifixion, the resurrection, Caen and Abel, David and Goliath and many more. One panel near the base stood out for me. This consisted of two seated men who appear to be pulling each others beards – a possible indication of a sense of comedy in the sculptor! The base is heavily decorated with Celtic knotwork.  The second of the two exceptional crosses is known as the West Cross, which although more slender that Muiredach’s Cross is also beautifully decorated. An early example of a sundial also stands amongst the crosses and gravestones.

The Beard Pulling Men, Muiredach's Cross

We left the core of the monument and headed back to the car. As we neared the exit our story-teller was waiting and dragged us back to the shed. A second musician had turned up and by now the shed was rocking to the sounds of a fiddle and button accordion. My wife was guest of honour in the shed and the duo were determined to play every  Scottish tune she could recall (we were even offered a cup of tea!). We would have stayed for hours if we didn’t have to catch a ferry. The experience left me feeling that tourism in Ireland may be missing a trick. The fusion of an amazing heritage site and living culture in the form of traditional music and story telling was truly fantastic. This is surely a model that could be rolled out more extensively by the powers that be in Irish tourism.

The West Cross, Monasterboice

Lughnasadh, The Harvest Festival of the Irish

The Celtic festival of Lugnasadh (pronounced loonasa) falls on the 1^st of August and is believed to have been a celebration of the harvest. The Celtic calendar had two principal festivals; Samhain (in November) and Bealtaine (in May). Separating these two main festivals were two lesser celebrations, Imbolg (in February) and Lugnasad (in August).

The Magical Spear of Lugh in action

The origins of the Lughnasa festival are tied in with traditions surrounding the Celtic god Lug, from whom the festival gets its name. Lug was a significant deity in the Celtic world and his name is linked to place names such as Lyon (Lugdunum), Katwijk near Leiden (Lugdunum Batavorum) and the modern Galician city of Lugo (Lucus Augusti). In Ireland he has numerous titles, two of the more common ones are Lugh Lamhfhada (Lugh of the Long Arm) and Lugh Samhildanach (Lugh the skillfull). The reference to the ‘long arm’ relates to his ability with a magical spear rather than the length of his limb. The name Lug also has solar connotations and he is likely to have been a sun god. Lugh was king of the Tuatha Dé Danann(Tribe of the goddess Danu).

Mound of the Hostages at the Royal site of Tara, Co. Meath

Legend has it that the feast of Lughnasa was established by Lug to commemorate his foster mother Tailtiu (the nature goddess) who died of exhaustion after clearing the forests of Ireland to facilitate cultivation. An important centre for celebrations of this festival was Teltown in County Meath which may have derived its name from the goddess. It is likely that this festival involved a large tribal gathering involving feasting, trade and games. The gathering at Teltown or óenach Tailten was presided over by the King of Tara and a tradition of this festival survived locally into the 19^thcentury.

The Harvest, central to the celebration of Lughnasadh

An earlier name for the harvest festival also survives. This was referred to as Brón Trograin or the Rage of Trograin and was an occasion for sacrifices to ensure the ripening of crops. It is likely that Trograin was an earlier tribal god who was replaced by Lug.

Whats in a Name? Finding Your Irish County

For many of the Irish diaspora the defining characteristic that reminds them of their ancestry is their surname. In instances where genealogy cannot provide the answers as to your direct origins, surnames often offer the only hint as to where your families origins may lie. The majority of Irish surnames are associated with a particular geographic area on the island, and even though these names have now spread across both Ireland and the globe, the densest concentrations are often still to be found in the historic areas where they originated.

A surname can provide not only a sense of place but also a tangible link to the archaeology and history of a specific area or county. Sites survive today that are testament to this fact. For example a visitor to Co. Donegal would be struck by the number of monuments relating to the O’Donnell family, from their traditional inauguration site at Doon Rock to the impressive castle in Donegal town. This is a direct result of the fact that the O’Donnells were the Gaelic lords of this territory during the medieval and early post medieval periods. A similar picture emerges throughout much of the country, particularly if you share your surname with some of the great Irish families, be they O’Briens in Co. Clare, O’Neills in Co. Tyrone, Maguires in Co. Fermanagh or MacCarthys in Co. Cork and Co. Kerry.

Donegal Castle, Co. Donegal, originally built by the O'Donnells (Wikimedia Commons)

Even if your surname is not derived from one of the great lordships it still possible that it has particular associations with a specific county or province. In a Gaelic Irish context, many families traditionally held lands and important roles beneath the major lord which can still be identified. To again take Co. Donegal as an example, anyone with the name Friel is also associated with that county, and indeed the family performed an important role in the inauguration of the O’Donnell lords. Some of the most important branches of the Sweeney family held lands under the O’Donnells, and they originally served as Gallowglass warriors for them. It may be that your family name relates to a group who performed important tasks for the lords of a specific area, which can range from functions such as professional soldiers, hereditary bards or even physicians.

Not everyone with an Irish lineage necessarily has a Gaelic Irish surname. Nonetheless many non-Gaelic names can also be traced to specific counties where they had a profound impact on the archaeological landscape. They can be of Viking, Norman, Scottish or English origin, and are equally important to the history of the island of Ireland. For example your surname could relate to one of the Norman lordships that sprang up around the country from the 12th century onwards, be connected to one of the English families that settled around major cities such as Dublin during the medieval period, or be part of the rich Scots-Irish heritage seen in Ulster with its roots in the 17th century.

Doe Castle, Co. Donegal, where the MacSweeneys of Doe held lands from the O'Donnells (Wikimedia Commons)

Even if you don’t know where your direct Irish family hailed from, you can still explore the archaeology of specific regions and counties in Ireland, where people with your family name helped to shape the island as we know it today. Of course, if you want to find out more about the archaeology of a specific county in Ireland, why not consider a Know Thy Place County Chart, which will be a constant reminder of your Irish archaeological heritage!

Interested in the Archaeology of your County?

The first product developed by Know Thy Place was the Prestige Roll, where you can commission a chart on the archaeology of a specific town or townland. We have now developed a series of County charts, where you can select a chart focusing on any of Ireland’s 32 counties. As with the Prestige Roll these charts deal with the Prehistoric and Historic archaeology of the area, highlighting some of the most impressive archaeological discoveries and important historical sites in the county’s history. The good thing is that the County Know Thy Place charts only cost €39.99 or $56.oo!

The Know Thy Place County Chart for Co. Kildare

Know Thy Place’s professional archaeological researchers have trawled through the sources to compile a unique narrative of each county’s history, from the first settlers of the Mesolithic through to the 20th century. The example illustrated above is our County Chart for Kildare. In this case, the chart tells of the first human activity in the county, along the banks of rivers such as the Barrow, identified through the stone tools these peoples left behind. It reveals evidence for the Neolithic houses of Ireland’s first farmers in places like Corbally, and the discovery of a forgotten hoard of Bronze Age metalworkers tools in Bishopsland. The medieval heritage of the county is not forgotten; Kildare has many examples of early church sites, round towers and high crosses at wonderful locations such as Castledermot, Moone and Old Kilcullen. It even produced some unique evidence for the Vikings! Later stone medieval castles like those at Maynooth and Athy dominated the landscape, before large demesne houses like that at Castletown took over. This amazing county was even home to the first brewery of a certain Arthur Guinness, who went on to become famous for inventing a certain stout!

The Know Thy Place County Charts distill the archaeology of your county into an attractive and easy to read format, taking into consideration all the latest discoveries in the area. It is also possible to personalise the chart with your name for a small additional fee. If you are interested in obtaining the chart or contacting us to find out more, you can go to our orders page here or email us at info@knowthyplace.com.

The American Civil War Sesquicentennial and Patrick Cleburne’s Place

The ruined 19th century houses that dot the Irish landscape remain one of the only reminders of those who left for America

150 years ago this April the first guns of the American Civil War sounded at Fort Sumter, South Carolina. Many of the troops garrisoned in the fort were Irish, and Private Daniel Hough from Co. Tipperary became the first soldier to die when a cannon went off prematurely during the surrender salute at the Fort. He would be the first of many.

It is estimated that in the region of 150,000 Irish served in the ranks of the Union army during the course of the conflict, with a further 20,000 donning Confederate grey. Many of these men and their families had fled their native country in the hope of making a better life in the United States, and had already borne witness to the horrors of the famine. Despite the enormous contribution in terms of manpower that the Irish made to the American Civil War, they remain all but forgotten in Ireland. Only a handful are memorialized, and the majority are remembered solely through the ruined 19th century homes they left behind, which dot the Irish landscape.

Major General Patrick Ronayne Cleburne, Stonewall of the West (Library of Congress)

Despite this, it still remains possible to see locations associated with some of the more well known Irishmen who fought in the war. An example of this are the sites associated with Major-General Patrick Ronayne Cleburne, who served with the Confederate Army of Tennessee in the Western Theatre. He fought at battles such as Shiloh, Stones River, Chickamauga and Atlanta, and became known as the ‘Stonewall of the West’ due to his fighting prowess. He had perhaps the best reputation of any Confederate divisional commander outside the Army of Northern Virginia. Cleburne was killed in action at the head of his division at the Battle of Franklin, Tennessee on 30th November 1864. The highest ranking Irishman to fight in the war, he remains very well known in the United States, where statues have been erected and counties named in his honour; unfortunately he is virtually unknown in Ireland.

Patrick Cleburne was born in this upstairs room of Bride Park Cottage

Cleburne was born in Killumney, Co. Cork,  in 1828 and emigrated to the United States in 1849. The Irish countryside remains full of locations associated with him. The house of his birth, Bride Park Cottage, still stands, marked by a plaque in his honour placed their by visiting American reenactors. He grew up in nearby Grange House; unusually the building is now smaller than it was when Patrick Cleburne and his family lived there. Patrick would have been very familiar with the Ballincollig Gunpowder Mills close to his home, where his father had helped out as a doctor. The young Cleburne would later spend time in other parts of Co. Cork, such as Mallow where he served as an apprentice druggist, and later, when in the British Army, he would be stationed at Buttevant Military Barracks. Perhaps the most poignant locations associated with Cleburne are the burial places of his father and mother. His mother died while he was still a baby, with his father following in 1843. The latter’s death set in train a sequence of events that would eventually lead to Cleburne’s departure for the United States. Today his father’s grave lies untended in the abandoned churchyard of St. Mary’s, but the inscription on the tombstone is still legible: ‘The Burial Place of Joseph Cleburne Esq. M.D. who died Nov. 24th 1843 Aged 51 years’.

St. Mary's Church of Ireland Churchyard, Final Resting Place of Patrick Cleburne's Father

The survival of these sites makes it possible to follow in the footsteps of one of the American Civil War’s most famous generals, and indeed there are many other similar examples across the island. They are  places that had a formative influence on the men who would serve during the American Civil War, and memories of them must have flashed across many Irish minds during the fighting. Such locations take on even more meaning as we recall Irish involvement in the American Civil War during the period of the sesquicentennial commemorations. It is important to remember places such as these in Ireland, so that they can stand as a reminder of the tens of thousands of Irishmen who served in that most terrible conflict.

Don’t mind your blarney! Some facts about Blarney Castle, County Cork

Ireland is a country of myths and legends, and nowhere is that more true than at Blarney Castle, County Cork. Literally millions of tourists visit the site to bend over backwards and kiss the stone in order to gain the gift of eloquence. If only it was that easy! Unfortunately a great majority of those tourists fail to see the true beauty of the site when heading for their saliva drizzled jewel in the crown. The castle itself is one of the finest examples of a Irish late medieval fortification which is well worth investigating in and of itself, if you can resist the overriding desire to gain the gift of the gab!

Blarney Castle, Co. Cork

So what about the castle? Blarney Castle was constructed on an impressive limestone outcrop and was strategically sited so that it could overlook two rivers. The building of the castle has traditionally been attributed to Cormac Laidir (Cormac the strong!) MacCarthy in 1446 but it is more likely that Cormac’s brother Eoghan constructed it in the 1480s. The large tower house you see today in fact represents two phases of building; the main portion which is four storeys in height, and a smaller slightly later addition against its east wall which is five storeys high. The main building and its ‘extension’ mean that castle is L-shaped in plan. It has a vaulted first floor and the upper story is believed to have served as a chapel. The castle had outer defences that included a curtain wall, some of which still survives. A fortified tower to the east of the main castle, replete with gun loops, formed part of these defences and was probably built in the 16th century with 17th century additions; another now concealed tower is most likely late 15th century in date.

Although the majority of the visible remains we can see today are late medieval or early post medieval in date, there is evidence for an earlier fortification at the site that was most probably constructed of wood. It is thought the first stone defences were constructed in the early 13th century, and a round bastion below the tower may have its origins in this high medieval phase.

Kissing the Blarney Stone. Could you resist the temptation?

The castle was the main seat of the MacCarthys, a powerful Gaelic Irish family who were Lords of Muskerry. The use of the term ‘Blarney’ as talking a load of waffle was supposedly coined by no less a celebrity than Queen Elizabeth I of England in the 16^th century. The Queen is reputed to have responded to the never ending list of excuses and plausible arguments put forward by Cormac Teige McCarthy during diplomatic discussions by stating that he was giving her ‘a lot of Blarney’. The castle was taken by force by Parliamentarian forces in 1646 after a short siege- at the time the MacCarthy’s were helping to lead the Royalist cause in Munster. The McCarthy’s reclaimed the site in 1661 following the Restoration of the Monarchy but lost it again after the Battle of the Boyne in 1690. The castle and its lands were sold to Sir James Jeffreys, Governor of Cork in 1703.

Many rumours are associated with the Blarney stone, the most famous of which is that the stone is part of the Stone of Scone which was gifted to the McCarthy’s by Robert the Bruce for providing support during the Battle of Bannockburn in 1314 – probably a load of auld blarney! The castle and its grounds are located just outside Cork City and well worth a visit for anyone travelling to the true capital of Ireland.

Discovering My Place: Kilcredan, Co. Cork

The Know Thy Place historical chart is more than just something for your wall. The information you receive also allows you to explore the archaeology of Thy Place, and serves as a guide to the location of monuments in the area. The example chart on the Know Thy Place website looks at Kilcredan, Co. Cork, Jonathan Millar’s place. Jonathan recently took the opportunity to explore some of the archaeology of the area using the chart prepared for him, and he took the time to describe his experience for the blog.

Jonathan's Know Thy Place chart for Kilcredan, Co. Cork

My Place was chosen for the first example chart because it is a fairly typical Irish townland; it has a rich history but is not ‘famous’ and is notable locally only because it houses the local parish National School. I have lived in Kilcredan for four years and in Ireland for six years altogether, since my family and I moved here from Scotland in 2004. The history of Ireland as a whole is something I am still learning and my knowledge of our local area is very fragmentary- so when I was first able to read the Know Thy Place scroll for Kilcredan it revealed many interesting details I was unaware of. I have cycled and walked around Kilcredan townland many times, but as is so often the case with the place where you live, I had never previously visited the monuments and attractions in the locality.

All this changed when I got my hands on a copy of the Kilcredan chart. I decided to select a monument listed on the chart each month to go and explore with my family.  This weekend just past, my son Louis (8) and I donned our rough clothes and adventure hats and went exploring with our cameras and a modest picnic to see what we could find at Kilcredan Church. I learned from the chart that the church and graveyard (monument 20b in my place) dated to the later medieval period and was one of two in the area. The church would have been an important focal point for the community in the past, and I imagined the generations of people who must have gone there to worship.

Jonathan with a framed copy of his place, Kilcredan, Co. Cork

Upon our arrival at the church, which is now a ruin, Louis quickly spotted some of its key features. These included a variety of sculptures, many of which appear to have been intentionally defaced in antiquity, and a church building which shows the scars and markings of regular and persistent structural alterations during its life. In the burial ground we came across a diverse collection of gravestones, some of which were up to 400 years old, while more recent graves bore testament to the continued use of the site by the local community and its importance to them. We spent an hour or so exploring these memorials, and we recognised the family names of lots of our friends and neighbours, highlighting that they had ties to this townland for many hundreds of years.

Jonathan and Louis explore Kilcredan Church and Graveyard with help from their Know Thy Place chart

The Know Thy Place chart is a product that resonates particularly with Irish people and members of the diaspora who have ties to a particular town or townland, ‘their Place’. I fall into a different category, having no direct ties to the townland. However, it is now the place that I call home, and the chart has given me a much greater appreciation of the historic landscape of which my home is a part. The chart now proudly hangs on my living room wall, a constant reminder to my family and I that Kilcredan is now ‘Our Place’.

A Sense of Place: Putting People into the Townland

At Know Thy Place we specialise in producing an archaeological wall chart of your townland or town so you can learn about the archaeology of your ancestral home. It also serves as a guide to help you find the monuments of the area, if (and hopefully when!) you get the opportunity to visit it. For those people lucky enough to know the very house their ancestors lived in we can take this work a step further, producing plans and elevations of the building on request, and highlighting its main features.

The ruined house at Ballyshane, Co. Cork

As professional archaeologists we have often encountered homesteads, often now in a semi-ruinous state, which prompted questions in our minds about the people who once lived there. One particular house which we recently worked on stands out from the crowd, however. A chance encounter transformed what was a routine archaeological building recording job into a much more rewarding experience, and reinforced the fact that ruinous houses are not the domain of feral animals and overgrowth, but the past focus of vibrant communities and a physical reminder of the humanity which is integral in all archaeological sites.

A plan of the Ballyshane house

As part of a research project in the townland of Ballyshane, near Inch, in east County Cork, we were commissioned to carry out an historic building survey of a ruinous complex of 19^th century farm buildings. The complex consisted of a single storey rectangular structure typical of the vernacular architecture of rural Ireland in the 19^th century.  The building was constructed of stone walls and had a thatch roof, and was subdivided into four bays or rooms. An adjoining range of byres were also located on the south end of the range which would have held animals. The building was constructed before the 1840s as it is depicted on the first edition of the Ordnance Survey map which was surveyed in 1841. The building showed signs of significant modifications through the 19^th and 20^th century, and new windows were introduced as per changing trends in architecture in the early 20^th century.   The thatched roof was also covered with corrugated iron which was again typical of the 19^th century.

Drawing and rectified photograph on the West Elevation of the Ballyshane house

The survey produced an accurate, technical drawing of the building both in plan and elevation which as was required by our brief. Then, as we were packing up the equipment to leave the site, we bumped into an elderly gentleman on the road, in what turned out to be an extremely fortuitous encounter. He asked us what we were doing, so we filled him in on the work we were carrying out. Amazingly, he revealed to us that he had been born and lived in the house when it was still in use. Here was a living connection to the history and archaeology of the building, a man who did not see the house as a ruinous and dilapidated structure- he saw it as the home of his youth, filled with the memories and sense of place that such a connection imparts.

Drawing and rectified photograph of the East Elevation of the Ballyshane house

The man started to tell us about the house from his childhood memories. He told us that animals were kept at one end, while his family lived cheek by jowl with the stock in the other. Apparently the fire was always lighting, the kettle was always on and visitors were always welcome. He then produced two family photographs of the last occupants of the house standing outside it on a fine summer’s day.  He went on to tell us his story of the townland back in the not too distant past. It was a busy landscape filled with animals and populated by local ‘characters’ working the fields. The black and white technical drawings which we had produced as a requirement for planning suddenly became coloured with the memories of a former resident.

The house becomes a home: the Ballyshane house in better days

We left the job with a renewed interest in this archaeology of place. Archaeology is not just about recording derelict buildings and grassy earthworks. It is about understanding the past through study and research of past landscapes and communities, and reconstructing the past through the clues left by our ancestors; it is about putting people back into the place.

Putting the people in the place: the family who lived in the Ballyshane house