(GAEILGE THÍOS)

Crannóg in Crisis: Drumclay Crannóg, Fermanagh, Ireland. Archaeologists need time to record and rescue over 1,000 years of hisory before the Enniskillen relief road obliterates this unique archaeological site.

Occupied for over 1,000 years from before the 7th until the 17th century, Drumclay Crannóg (a man-made island dwelling in a lake) is turning out to be one of Ireland’s richest archaeological sites and is turning up artefacts and information that will significantly alter our understanding of how our ancestors interacted with each other and the landscape, as well as information about their everyday lives and activities.

The site is due to be destroyed at the end of March 2013, for the construction of the A32 link in Enniskillen. Archaeologists are currently working around the clock to attempt a ‘rescue excavation’ to record and remove as much material and as many artefacts as possible, before they are ordered to leave the site for completion of the road project.

To date, archaeologists have uncovered many hundreds of unique and rarely recorded artefacts, including richly decorated combs, mill stones, small crucibles for metal-working, wooden gaming pieces, leather bags, fragments of cloth and part of a wooden plough. Human remains have also been discovered.

Drumclay Crannóg is turning out to be far more significant than previously thought. Despite eight months of continuous excavation in extremely difficult waterlogged conditions, several metres of material are still left, rich in artefacts and irreplaceable environmental information. The end of March 2013 is not sufficient time to complete the remaining archaeological works, despite the initial destruction by bulldozer of over a third of the crannóg for health and safety reasons.

It is rumoured that pressure is on to complete construction of the road link for the arrival of the G8 Summit in Fermanagh later this year, despite it being extremely unlikely that many of the dignitaries will be arriving by road.

The lost opportunity of archaeologically recording and studying the complete site is like loping off a wing of La Louvre in Paris, bulldozing a portion of the British Museum, or removing the inner chamber of Newgrange.

The level of interest at the Open Day at the site to view the crannóg on 16th February 2013 and the long waiting list of people who didn’t get a place to attend, in itself demonstrates our appreciation and interest in the site. We value our archaeological heritage and it informs us in an important way of who we are. Therefore, we request that 1,000 years plus of Irish history is given precedence over a construction deadline for the sake of a few extra months. We, the local people, have waited for decades for the upgrade of this road. A few more months is not a significant extra wait in comparison to the wealth of knowledge and artefacts that the archaeologists can uncover if given the extra time.

We ask our government and people in power to give the archaeologists the time they need to complete the rescue excavation fully. Without this time we will never know about the deepest and oldest archaeological layers of Drumclay. Give the archaeologists the time they need to finish their work at Drumclay Crannóg, so the site’s full story can be told for at least another 1000 years.

Please also contact Alex Attwood, Minister for the Environment, at private.office@doeni.gov.uk and lend your support to a call for more time and resources to be made available for Drumclay Crannóg.

Géarchéim na Crannóige – Crannóg Dhroim Cléithe, Fear Manach. Tá am de dhíth ag na seandálaithe atá ag obair ar Chrannóg Dhroim Cleithe i bhFear Manach le breis is 1,000 bliain de stair na hÉireann a thaifeadadh is a shlánú, sula scriosfar í le bóthar nua in Inis Ceithleann.

Agus daoine ina gcónaí ann le breis is míle bliain, ón tréimhse roimh an 7ú haois go dtí an 17ú haois, is léir go bhfuil Crannóg Dhroim Cléithe ar cheann de na suímh sheandálaíochta is saibhre in Éirinn. Tá na seandálaithe ag teacht ar iarsmaí agus ar eolas inti a athróidh go mór ár dtuiscint ar stair ár sinsear agus ar a dteagmháil leis an tírdhreach thart orthu, chomh maith le heolas a léiríonn gnáthshaol an duine fadó.

Tá sé beartaithe an áit a scriosadh ag deireadh Mhí an Mhárta 2013, sa dóigh is gur féidir an bóthar ceangail A32 in Inis Ceithleann a thógáil. Faoi láthair, tá na seandálaithe ag obair ó dhubh go dubh ar ‘thochailt tarrthála’ leis an méid is mó d’ábhair agus d’iarsmaí a thaifeadadh agus a thógáil aisti, sula gcuirfear ordú orthu imeacht ón suíomh leis an bhóthar a chríochnú.

Go nuige seo, tháinig na seandálaithe ar na céadta iarsmaí atá speisialta agus tearc sa taifead seandálaíochta. San áireamh, tháinig siad ar chíora maisithe, brónna, breogáin bheaga don ghaibhneacht, píosaí adhmaid cluichíochta, málaí leathair, éadach agus cuid de chéachta adhmaid. Tháinig siad ar thaisí dhaoine chomh maith.

Tuigtear anois go bhfuil Crannóg Dhroim Cléithe níos suntasaí ná mar a measadh ar dtús. Cé go raibh ocht mí de thochailt inti cheana féin, tá roinnt méadar ábhair fágtha le staidéar go fóill, ábhar a bheas lán iarsmaí agus eolais faoin timpeallacht thart ar an chrannóg. Ní leor ama é go deireadh Mhárta 2013 leis na hoibrithe seandálaíochta a chríochnú, cé gur leagadh níos mó ná trian den chrannóg le hollscartaire ar mhaithe le sláinte is sábháilteacht i lár na tochailte.

Tá sé ráite go híseal go bhfuil teannadh ann le tógáil an bhóthair a bhrú chun tosaigh le haghaidh Chruinniú Mullaigh G8 a bheas i bhFear Manach níos moille anonn sa bhliain seo, cé nach mbeidh boic mhóra an Chruinnithe á úsáid le taisteal ann gach seans.

Is féidir a rá go mbeadh an chailliúint deise seo le staidéar agus taifead a dhéanamh ar an chrannóg seo inchurtha le scrios a dhéanamh ar chuid de La Louvre na Fraince, nó cuid d’Iarsmalann na Breataine a scrios, nó pluais Bhrú na Bóinne a stróiceadh as a chéile.

Bhí an-spéis léirithe ag daoine ag an Lá Oscailte ar an suíomh ar 16 Feabhra 2013; agus b’fhada an liosta feithimh nár éirigh leo cuairt a fháil ar an áit. Is oll-léiriúchán é sin ar ár suim agus ár spéis san áit agus sa tseandálaíocht. Tá gean againn dár n-oidhreacht seandálaíochta agus insíonn sí dúinn ar bhealach tábhachtach cé sinn féin. Mar sin de, iarraimid go dtugtar tús áite do 1,000 bliain de stair na hÉireann, agus áit thánaisteach le spriocdháta tógála – nuair nach bhfuil i gceist ach cúpla mí. Tá muidne – na daoine áitiúla – ag fanacht na blianta móra fada leis an uasghrádú ar an bhóthar seo. Ní chuirfidh sé mórán stró nó struis eile orainn fanacht cúpla mí eile, go háirithe nuair atá an-luach leis an eolas agus leis na taisí gurbh fhéidir leis na seandálaithe tochailt aisti ach an t-am a bheith acu.

Iarraimid ar an rialtas agus ar na daoine a bhfuil an chumhacht acu, an t-am a thabhairt do na seandálaithe leis an tochailt tarrthála a chríochnú mar is ceart. Gan é sin, ní bheidh a fhios go deo againn faoi na sraitheanna seandálaíochta is doimhne agus is ársa i nDroim Cléithe. Tugtar an t-am do na seandálaithe, sa dóigh is go mbeidh as scéal is iomláine againn le hinsint fán suíomh le 1,000 míle bliain eile amach anseo.

Iarrtar ort dul i dteagmháil le hAlex Attwood fosta, an tAire Timpeallachta, ag private.office@doeni.go.uk agus tabhair tacaíocht leis a scairt le tuilleadh ama agus acmhainní a bheith ar fáil do na seandálaithe ag Crannóg Dhroim Cléithe.