Archaeology Field Trip #1: West Cork - Friday, August 29, 2008

For those of you who don’t know or who aren’t sure how my academic situation in Ireland works, I’m enrolled in an Intro to Irish Archaeology course that is specifically for visiting students. It is an “Early Start” course, meaning this class runs the four weeks before the regular semester begins. As part of this course, I have four field trips. The first of these field trips was last week (Friday, August 29) and we visited several sites in the western part of County Cork. (Larger versions of all images can be seen by clicking on them).


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The first site we traveled to was the Garranes Ringfort. From the Early Medieval period, the “Ringfort” is currently only visible as a large round clearing surrounding by a series of three banks and ditches. Even though we only saw the archaeological footprint of Garranes, it was impressive (and helpful) to be able to visualize the size of the place and its relation to the surrounding landscape. Garranes was the ringfort of one of the kings of Ireland (nothing to write home about…in this period there are about 150 kings) and is rumored to be the birthplace of St. Finbarr, the patron saint of Cork city. Interestingly, very little evidence of domestic occupation or even military usage was found in the two excavations of the site. Instead, evidence of high-status craftwork (bronze, glass, pottery) was found in abundance leading some archaeologists to conclude that Garranes was used as a camp for craftsmen (but having the potential to shelter a community in times of need).

Here is a photo taken from the top of the innermost bank surrounding the site looking into the cleared center (the perimeter has become overgrown with trees and, unfortunately, nettles).

The second site we visited was the Ballinacarriga Tower house. This house, built sometime before 1585, is a classic example of a medieval fortified tower house. It has bartizans (overhanging mounted turrets), slit windows, the remains of a bawn wall (defensive wall), and is made of thick walls of stone. It also has a Sheela-na-gig, an exhibitionist figure, on the eastern wall. The house is also notable for the carvings in the converted chapel in the top of the structure. One such carving shows the Virgin Mary and Mary Magdalene lamenting at the crucifixion, but they are dressed in the traditional clothing of Gaelic women of the time (with ring pins). The Ballinacarriga house represents the late medieval renaissance of Gaelic traditions.

Here is an image of the main tower house:

And of the Sheela-na-gig:

And a dim image of the carving of the two Mary’s upstairs:

After lunching in Clonakilty (the hometown of Michael Collins), we continued on our trip down around Rosscarbery on the coast to Coppinger’s Court.

Coppinger’s Court is a semi-fortified house from the early modern period (c. 1616). It is completely in ruin and we could only safely go so far into the structure. It sits in a working cow pasture and part of the adventure of seeing the site was the process of jumping a stone fence, walking among two dozen head of open range cattle, clambering over an electric fence, and climbing one last stone wall (all with the permission of the farmer who we ran into as we approached the site). Unlike Ballinacarriga, Coppinger’s Court is much less focused on defense and more focused on appearance. The machicolations at Ballinacarriga (slits over the door for pouring hot water, etc. on the heads of attackers battering the front) can be seen at Coppinger’s but they are far too narrow for anyone to fit into and use, thus rendering them impractical and merely a decorative element.

The final site we visited was Drombeg with its standing stone circle, fulachta fiadh, and two conjoined circular huts from the bronze age (a rare find). The standing stone circle consists of 17 stones (stone circles always have an odd number of stones) aligned on the winter solstice sunset. In the center, the cremated remains of one individual were found buried although these remains are probably of a dedicatory nature (the stone circle is likely not a burial monument).

To the west, the footprint of two conjoined huts were found and one had evidence of a roasting oven. Finds of such permanent structures from this period in Ireland’s pre-history are exceedingly rare.

Here is an image of my professor standing in the center of the west-most hut with the stone circle just behind and to the right.

The other site making up the relatively small and unusual Drombeg complex is a fulachta fiadh. Fulachta fiadh are a common Bronze Age archaeological find in Ireland but there function is still enigmatic. Most would argue that they are temporary hunter’s kitchens (as described in many later Irish sources such as epic poetry cycles), but some also argue they could have served as saunas (unlikely) or early breweries (also unlikely). A fulachta fiadh consists of a horseshoe-shaped ring of burnt and cracked stones surrounding a water trough (normally lined with wood or stone) and a hearth area near that trough. Experimental archaeology leads to the conclusion that the user would heat stones in the hearth area and then dump the stones into the water trough, heating the water to boiling. Experiments have shown that a trough of water could be brought to boiling in 18 minutes after the stones were introduced to the water and kept hot for 3 hours, long enough to boil meat. The used stones would be discarded, thus forming the wall around the area.

This particular fulachta fiadh is odd for several reasons. First, it is not on the banks of a wetland area like nearly all others (the trough of water is naturally filled because the usual locations of fulachta fiadh have such high water tables). Also, the stones forming the surrounding wall did not show evidence of being heated and were too large to fit in the trough suggesting that this particular fulachta fiadh was built as a permanent structure. Finally, the proximity to the stone circle as well as the conjoined huts suggest that Drombeg was a complete ritual complex perhaps with a permanent guardian.

Here is an image of a fulachta fiadh:

A full day of archaeological sites in the west of the county finished, we drove the couple of hours back to Cork city for the night. A recap and images of the second field trip (an overnight to Dublin) should be posted soon.