Excavation in Co Sligo recovers over 1,000 artefacts from 17th century
More than 1,000 historical artefacts have been recorded during a three-week excavation of a seventeenth century fort in Co Sligo led by ATU archeologists.
One of 65 bastioned forts in Ireland, the Green Fort located on Fort Hill in Sligo town is the last visible reminder of the seventeenth-century town fortifications.
The Green Fort which was in existence during the Williamite Wars and the Confederate Wars is thought to have been built during the Nine Years War (1594-1603).
The archeological excavation involved opening an excavation trench in the fort interior.
Recorded discoveries included military artifacts as well as other artifacts which display evidence of the food, drink and smoking habits of those once stationed at the Green Fort.
Dr Fiona Beglane who led the excavation told RTÉ News the artefacts recorded "include clay pipes for smoking tobacco".
"We also have glass, pottery and animal bones, which are evidence of food. On the military side we have found musket balls, buttons and part of a mortar bomb."
Dr Beglane also said the dig found "evidence of historic drainage works, destruction and renovation of the interior of the fort".
The excavation was carried out by ATU students of the Certificate in Archaeological Excavation and Post-Excavation and the Certificate in Archaeological Field Studies.
Students also came from USA, Canada, Australia, Belgium, Germany, Kosovo and the Ukraine as well as community volunteers funded by Sligo County Council.
The team hoped to gain an insight into the nature of the buildings, structures and features that once occupied the fort, thus shedding light on the lives of those stationed there.
A fort's primary function was to mount artillery and protect a garrison during periods of warfare.
The spear-shaped bastion fort was a strategic base during the Williamite Wars as Sligo lay on the main passage between Ulster and north-west Connacht.
A copy of a commemorative medal of the 1691 capture of Athlone, Galway and Sligo held in the British Museum depicts Sligo, with the Green Fort on the lower right of the medal.
In 2017, Sligo County Council commissioned a conservation plan for the Green Fort in Rathquarter townland to address the long-term preservation of the monument.
As part of the conservation plan, the council commissioned geophysical surveys of the Green Fort, one of seven such sites in the county.
A circular feature, about 25 metres in diameter, was identified in the centre of the monument, possibly an early medieval ringfort mentioned in the Annals of the Four Masters, which recorded the presence of an early medieval ringfort known as Ráith dá Briotócc at the location where the Green Fort now stands within O'Boyle Public Park.
Since the 1980s, different community groups have celebrated the Green Fort through enactments of Williamite attacks, public lectures, guided tours and conservation works.
The Green Fort Archaeology Project was conceived two years ago following discussions between the ATU archaeologists, Dr Fiona Beglane and Dr Marion Dowd, Sligo County Council, and the National Monuments Service.
The Green Fort which commands a 360-degree view of Sligo town is recognised as a national monument and it is protected under the National Monuments Act.
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RTÉ News
17 hours ago
- RTÉ News
Excavation in Co Sligo recovers over 1,000 artefacts from 17th century
More than 1,000 historical artefacts have been recorded during a three-week excavation of a seventeenth century fort in Co Sligo led by ATU archeologists. One of 65 bastioned forts in Ireland, the Green Fort located on Fort Hill in Sligo town is the last visible reminder of the seventeenth-century town fortifications. The Green Fort which was in existence during the Williamite Wars and the Confederate Wars is thought to have been built during the Nine Years War (1594-1603). The archeological excavation involved opening an excavation trench in the fort interior. Recorded discoveries included military artifacts as well as other artifacts which display evidence of the food, drink and smoking habits of those once stationed at the Green Fort. Dr Fiona Beglane who led the excavation told RTÉ News the artefacts recorded "include clay pipes for smoking tobacco". "We also have glass, pottery and animal bones, which are evidence of food. On the military side we have found musket balls, buttons and part of a mortar bomb." Dr Beglane also said the dig found "evidence of historic drainage works, destruction and renovation of the interior of the fort". The excavation was carried out by ATU students of the Certificate in Archaeological Excavation and Post-Excavation and the Certificate in Archaeological Field Studies. Students also came from USA, Canada, Australia, Belgium, Germany, Kosovo and the Ukraine as well as community volunteers funded by Sligo County Council. The team hoped to gain an insight into the nature of the buildings, structures and features that once occupied the fort, thus shedding light on the lives of those stationed there. A fort's primary function was to mount artillery and protect a garrison during periods of warfare. The spear-shaped bastion fort was a strategic base during the Williamite Wars as Sligo lay on the main passage between Ulster and north-west Connacht. A copy of a commemorative medal of the 1691 capture of Athlone, Galway and Sligo held in the British Museum depicts Sligo, with the Green Fort on the lower right of the medal. In 2017, Sligo County Council commissioned a conservation plan for the Green Fort in Rathquarter townland to address the long-term preservation of the monument. As part of the conservation plan, the council commissioned geophysical surveys of the Green Fort, one of seven such sites in the county. A circular feature, about 25 metres in diameter, was identified in the centre of the monument, possibly an early medieval ringfort mentioned in the Annals of the Four Masters, which recorded the presence of an early medieval ringfort known as Ráith dá Briotócc at the location where the Green Fort now stands within O'Boyle Public Park. Since the 1980s, different community groups have celebrated the Green Fort through enactments of Williamite attacks, public lectures, guided tours and conservation works. The Green Fort Archaeology Project was conceived two years ago following discussions between the ATU archaeologists, Dr Fiona Beglane and Dr Marion Dowd, Sligo County Council, and the National Monuments Service. The Green Fort which commands a 360-degree view of Sligo town is recognised as a national monument and it is protected under the National Monuments Act.
Irish Daily Mirror
18 hours ago
- Irish Daily Mirror
One in six Irish very interested in news, significantly higher than UK and US
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RTÉ News
10-06-2025
- RTÉ News
What have the Anglo-Normans ever done for us anyway?
Analysis: Not much really apart from giving us counties, the Pale, fortified towns, stone castles, gothic architecture and markets... In August 1967, Arthur Butler, the sixth Marquis of Ormond, gave the keys of Kilkenny Castle to James Gibbons, chairman of the Kilkenny Castle Restoration and Development Committee. This symbolic gesture marked the end of centuries of Butler family stewardship of the castle, a lineage that traced back to the Anglo-Norman invasion of Ireland. The onlookers included then Minister for Finance Charlie Haughey and, surprisingly, Mick Jagger and Marianne Faithfull, who were seeking refuge from the British press following a recent drug scandal. From RTÉ Archives, 1967 RTÉ News report on the handing over of the keys to Kilkenny Castle by the Butler family witnessed by Charles Haughey, Mick Jagger and Marianne Faithfull Rock 'n' roll luminaries aside, the event signified the closing chapter of one of Ireland's most prominent Anglo-Norman dynasties. Arthur Butler was descended from Theobald Walter, the first Chief Butler of Ireland (c. 1150- c. 1206). The Butlers were among many families whose roots in Ireland began with the 12th century Anglo-Norman invasion. Over the following eight centuries, these families brought a new form of governance, feudalism, to Ireland and became deeply embedded in Irish political, social, and cultural life. Who were the Normans? The Normans originated from Viking marauders who eventually settled in northern France, in a region now known as Normandy. There, they adopted Christianity, spoke Norman French and integrated into local aristocratic networks. Their success as colonisers stemmed from their ability to blend local customs with a distinct Norman identity, creating a hybrid culture. For instance, after William the Conqueror's 1066 invasion of England, Norman Romanesque architecture became widespread. Gradually, they incorporated local English elements, as seen in the west front of Ely Cathedral. Meanwhile, the English St. George became a celebrated figure across the Norman world. This pattern of cultural integration was a hallmark of Norman expansion. From RTÉ Radio 1's Liveline, listeners call in to give out about and praise the Normans The Anglo-Normans arrive in Ireland By the time the Normans arrived in Ireland in 1169, they had adopted so many 'English' customs that Irish annalists described them as Sasanach, Saxons. In Ireland, as elsewhere, they intermarried with aristocratic families and adopted local customs, while bringing Norman innovations. The creation of counties Dublin, Kildare, Louth and Meath would form the core of what became known as the Pale, where English Common Law was eventually adhered to. The Normans built impressive stone castles, like Trim Castle in Co. Meath. Gradually, walled towns emerged that hosted markets. Drogheda, Kilkenny and Waterford all owe their medieval layout to the Normans. New town charters outlined the mutual obligations between citizens and corporations. Gothic architecture (which replaced the earlier Romanesque style) adorned Irish churches (see Duiske Abbey in Co. Kilkenny and St Patrick's and Christ Church Cathedrals in Dublin). Within Norman territories, however, the cultural boundaries between English and Irish were porous. The famous 1366 Statutes of Kilkenny (which were originally written in Norman French) banned Normans from dressing like Irish lords and speaking Irish. Yet, contemporary Irish legal (Brehon) tracts contain Anglo-Norman terms like jury, guarantor and seneschal, showing us how both cultures influenced one another. The Norman legacy in Irish culture Perhaps the most fascinating legacy of the Normans in Ireland was the cultural hybridity they fostered. Many Anglo-Norman lords adopted Irish customs and patronised Gaelic poets and scholars. One notable example is Gearóid Iarla, or Gerald fitz Maurice FitzGerald (1338-1398), a descendant of Maurice Fitzgerald, a key figure in the original Anglo-Norman invasion. Gearóid Iarla composed poetry in Irish, drawing on Irish mythology while also engaging with French courtly poetry. In the 1600s, Seathrún Céitinn, of Anglo-Norman descent (his father was James fitz Edmund Keating) authored Foras Feasa ar Éirinn, a compendium of wisdom about Ireland and a seminal history that drew on native traditions and celebrated Irish culture. Meanwhile, in Dublin, descendants of Normans had adopted St George as the city's patron saint. By the 1500s, the annual St George's Day pageant had become a major civic event. Actors portrayed St George and his legendary battle with the dragon – played by a mechanical dragon maintained by the city corporation. From RTÉ Radio 1's Late Debate, should Ireland commemorate the Norman invasion? A recent project between Maynooth University, the Royal Irish Academy, and the Virtual Record Treasury of Ireland has recently published online a manuscript that describes the distinct identity of an Anglo-Norman community in 17th-century Wexford. Allegedly, they still wore the same style clothes and spoke 'old Saxon English' like their 12th century ancestors. Despite their deep integration into Irish society, many Anglo-Norman families retained elements of their original identity. More Irish than the Irish themselves? The question of whether the Anglo-Normans became "more Irish than the Irish themselves" has long been debated, particularly during periods of Anglo-Irish political tensions. In reality, Anglo-Norman lords had to navigate a complex web of local allegiances, dynastic ambitions, and obligations to the English Crown. A telling example is that of George Darcy of Dunmoe, Co. Meath. The Darcys could trace their origin to John Darcy, Viceroy in 1324 who ordered the arrest of Alice Kyteler for witchcraft (fun fact). Their story is not one of simple conquest or assimilation, but of enduring influence, adaptation and cultural fusion. During the Battle of the Boyne in 1690, it is purported that both King James II and his rival, William of Orange, were hosted by Darcy on successive days. When asked where his loyalties lay, Darcy allegedly replied "who will be king I do not know; but I'll be Darcy of Dunmoe." This anecdote encapsulates the balancing act performed by many Anglo-Norman families: rooted in Ireland, yet navigating the shifting tides of English and Irish politics. So, what have the Anglo-Normans ever done for us? Well, apart from counties, the Pale, feudalism, fortified towns, English Common Law, corporations, stone castles, gothic architecture, markets, 'Foras Feasa ar Éirinn', St George pageants, and Norman French – not much, really! Yet what appears from this brief analysis, is that their story is not one of simple conquest or assimilation, but of enduring influence, adaptation and cultural fusion.
