EMAP_2012_Report_6_1.pdf (7.3 MB) - The Heritage Council

Section 1: An Overview of the 2012 Report
Chapter 1: Introduction
Interpretations of the landscape of early medieval Ireland have changed over the decades,
driven partly by the changing zeitgeist of historical theory, and partly by the archaeological
record. While the predominantly rural focus of life in Ireland during the latter part of the first
millennium has been well-discussed, the impact of industry on the every-day life of the
inhabitants has had less coverage. It is clear that Viking towns were centres of industry (e.g.
Wallace 1987), but the locations of native centres of activity are less studied. ‘Monastic
towns’ (sensu Doherty 1985; Valente 1998; Swift 1998) fulfil many of these roles, and recent
excavations on the ecclesiastical site of Clonfad, Co. Westmeath (Stevens & Channing 2012)
and Armoy, Co. Antrim (Nellis et al. 2007), for example, revealed large-scale production of
specialised metal-work (e.g. bells), and 1,300 pieces of shale-working debitage respectively.
The importance of typical secular sites, however, has often been overshadowed by a small
number of urban and ‘proto-urban’ sites which have produced large amounts of evidence for
industrial activity.
This report, therefore, will examine the role of industry and craft on secular occupation sites.
The ability to distinguish between early medieval ‘secular’ and ‘ecclesiastical’ sites has,
however, become increasingly blurred as a result of the excavation boom of the early 2000s.
The discovery of numerous ‘cemetery-settlements’/‘settlement-cemeteries’/ ‘secularcemeteries’
(e.g. Johnstown, Co. Meath (Clarke & Carlin 2008) or Raystown, Co. Meath
(Seaver 2010)) during roadworks in the first decade of the twenty-first century make it very
difficult to distinguish between a site which is solely ‘secular’ and one which is solely
‘religious’ in nature. While Conleth Manning’s excavations at Moyne, Co. Mayo (1987) and
Killederdadrum, Co. Tipperary (1984) argued that certain ecclesiastical sites may have
originated as secular enclosures, this was partially based on the development of graveyards
at these sites. It is now increasingly clear that a formal burial ground at an early medieval
site does not necessarily constitute a change in function to a church site, nor can it be taken
to imply the presence of a church on site. Rather, it seems that burial beside and alongside
the living was a regular practice through much of Ireland until at least the eighth or ninth
century. The industrial activity and associated finds from obviously ecclesiastical sites such as
Armagh, Clonmacnoise or Reask have not been discussed here, however, similar activity from
the pre-ecclesiastical phases on possible church sites, such as Dunmisk, Co. Tyrone (Ivens
1989) or Kilgobbin, Co Dublin (Bolger 2008) have been included. Similarly the findings from
‘settlement-cemetery’ sites have been included, but, where possible, these have been
restricted to occupation evidence and have not included grave-goods associated with burials.
After eight or nine decades of systematic archaeology in Ireland, there are noticeable
changes in the way in which craft-working and small finds have been recorded. Early
excavation reports, such as those by S. P. Ó Ríordáin of University College Cork, or H. O’N.
Hencken of the Harvard Archaeological Mission, tended to focus heavily on the finds
recovered from site. This artefact-heavy approach was a product of the contemporary
archaeological tradition, which was dominated by typologies. By identifying specific artefacts
to a sub-type level, it was possible to work out relative, or even absolute, chronologies for
these various sites.
The development of radiocarbon dating, however, shifted the focus away from artefacts to
ecofacts and other material which could be sampled for the dating process. Archaeology in
Ireland had also shifted away from the multi-season excavation on a headline site, towards
an attempt to understand the wider archaeological landscape. This led to attempts to create
settlement models, by examining the locations of sites in relation to the local typography and
to each other, and also was associated with palaeoecological studies which tried to
understand the ancient environment and climate. A mixture of preservation issues and the
generally aceramic nature of the larger part of the island meant that such studies could add
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