Knockavrogeen West, Dingle Peninsula, Co Kerry : Investigation of unclassified megalithic tomb
Short video of the excavation and recording of the tomb before resealing.
ryaner
Described as a bowl barrow, with the possibility it’s a Norman motte (my first thought).
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To the left of the passage as you enter is this finely picked piece, very reminiscent of the art at Knowth.
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The passage lintel, now placed on the wall to the right as you enter. It’s a fascinating piece with its almost sheer, flattened plane.
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I find the concrete dome forgivable given what it protects – after a while your eyes adjust from the exterior brightness to the darkened interior and you realise that the dome has slots to allow some natural light shine on each chamber.
Image credit: ryaner
From the larger (excavated) of the two smaller mounds, looking south towards the smallest.
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Friends of Knock Iveagh - Ulster Archaeological Society Discovery Conference 2021
Breathing Life into the Embers at Knock Iveagh – The Importance of Community Guardianship in Protecting Heritage at Risk.
The Friends of Knock Iveagh came together in September 2017 following the discovery of the erection of an unauthorised telecommunications mast and flawed Planning Approval for a single wind turbine adjacent to a Scheduled Neolithic hilltop burial cairn on Knock Iveagh, Rathfriland, Co. Down. The Friends are a group comprising working parents with a shared interest in archaeology, Gaelic history, Irish mythology, built heritage, and music.
This video explains the background to our campaign & the importance of Knock Iveagh as the central point of a ritual landscape. It also details the many challenges we have faced as a community group navigating #systemfailni , provides information about new research into the area by Eamonn Kelly and gives details of the Friends’ significant new archaeological discoveries in South Down.
#saveknockiveagh
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The whole rigmarole – soon to be inundated, but regularly visited now, seemingly.
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The underside of the capstone with the remaining upright to the left.
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The sound of an Iron Age trumpet returns to Knock Iveagh after 2,000 years!
The Friends of Knock Iveagh are proud to share the first sounding of the ‘Ardbrin Trumpet’ at Knock Iveagh in over 2,000 years. Help us #saveknockiveagh here: chng.it/pGrSBNtg
The enormous 8 foot-long trumpet, which was found in a bog 2km from the hill during the 19th century, now resides in the National Museum of Ireland in Dublin. It is believed that it would have been played for the inaugurations of tribal ‘kings’ on Knock Iveagh.
The event was organised by the Friends of Knock Iveagh to highlight the importance of the monument, which is protected by law.
In 2017 a wind turbine was erected on Knock Iveagh following a flawed planning process during which heritage experts were not consulted. Developers are now attempting to prevent locals & members of the public from accessing the site for the first time in its 6,000 year history.
The Friends of Knock Iveagh are campaigning for the removal of the unlawful wind turbine development, and for the site to be taken into State Care, and they are asking supporters to sign and share this online petition: chng.it/pGrSBNtg
THANK YOU!
Looking west over the whole of the fort, with the line of the outer ramparts in the foreground.
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Probably the only dry place in the vicinity that day.
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Looking north – Cullentragh ring-cairn is over the ridge on the right over the Fermanagh/Cavan border.
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Some natural solution pits, some cupmarks.
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A bit further out than the previous shot – a hauntingly beautiful landscape.
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Approaching from the north through the rain.
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Misty, rainy day in Cullentragh – I want this to be a ring cairn, but I have my doubts.
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Looking south towards an obscured Cuilcagh – the rectangular feature in the foreground is very cist-like.
Image credit: ryaner
Approaching from the west, the trig point is visible on the left, embedded on the northern arc of the ring cairn.
Image credit: ryaner
‘The objective is to protect, conserve and promote an appreciation of the Hill of Tara’
There are “issues” affecting the Hill of Tara at the moment – traffic management, signage and interpretation, the erosion of visitor numbers through the site and their effect on the “very sensitive” earthworks which are injured by stud marks from people using the area as a training ground, the Chief State Archaeologist told Meath county councillors during a presentation on the Hill of Tara Conservation Plan to them at their February council meeting.
The meeting took place ahead of last week’s act of vandalism on the site in which the Lia Fail was spraypainted with the word ‘Fake‘
Michael McDonagh said he didn’t know what Meath’s ambitions were for the All-Ireland but he DID know that it was an issue that would have to be dealt with. Also, at different times of the year there was difficulty with people camping out on the site.
The Hill of Tara means a lot of different things to many people, he said. To some it’s a very sacred place, to other people it’s a training ground, and to others it’s a place where they can let their dogs go free to do whatever dogs do. These were some of the challenges that must be faced in caring for the long-term future of the site.
