News & Events
Mar 2010
Aidan and Rob signing copies of "Places along the way" at the book launch in Navan. The book contains a summary of discoveries on the M3 Motorway excavations and includes a detailed look at the Early-Medieval enclosure at Roestown excavated by Rob and the cermonial enclosure Henge at Lismullin excavated by Aidan.
May 2010
Excavations at a Gaelic football pitch in Collon Co. Louth revealed 3 pottery burial urns dating from the Bronze Age (3500 years ago). There were two large and one small gourd shaped urns decorated with dots and chevrons on the rims. All three were removed and conserved for acceptance by the National Museum.
Jun-July 2010
Excavation of a Bronze Age house (2500 - 700 BC) and associated features on a quarry site in Swanlinbar, Co. Cavan for Quinn Cement. This site contained only the second ever recorded Bronze Age house in Cavan and as such had some regional importance. The house was a typical 9m diameter post built circular feature probably used for accommodation some 3000 years ago (see reconstruction of how it may have looked).
Sept 2010 - Viking longphort found (click for Irish Times)
- Cobbled surface of work area
A research excavation funded by Annagassan and District Historical Society at Annagassan in Co. Louth revealed the long sought location of the northern Viking settlement of Linn Duachaill. Founded in 841 AD at the same time as its southern counterpart, Linn Dubh or Dublin.
Three trenches were excavated to a depth of 2m revealing traces of the outer ditch and bank fortification around the settlement located on an inlet of the River Glyde some 500m from its mouth at the village of Annagassan.
Finds included hack-silver (silver hacked or chopped off silver ornaments), many Viking ships rivets, a human skull and a spindle whorl used for thread making.
The site is of international significance as it locates the site of Linn Duachaill and backs up the veracity of The Annals of Ulster where the site is first mentioned.
November 2010
Collon burial urns dated to 3490 before present (only 10 years out on what we thought!). Urns have been conserved before issue to Museum.
January 2011
Excvation of the garden area of the Deanery at the heart of the Viking triangle of Waterford started in November 2010. The Undercroft was built in the 13th century for the nearby Cathedral and may at one time have been used as a Mint for coin-making.
Finds to date include this 11th century copper alloy ringed pin which was probably used as a cloak fastener as well as many pieces of decorated medieval pottery, a small bone comb and this finely decorated floor tile.
The works are in advance of the construction of a new medieval museum for Waterford City, thanks are due to the City Council for their support.
- Medieval floor tile
- Copper alloy ringpin
- Undercroft
- Aerial
- Christina
- Bone comb
- Excavation
Apr 2011 Lismullin Monograph
Archer have been appointed by Meath County Council to produce a monograph on the Henge site at Lismullin on the M3. The publication will be a clear account of the excavations, written in a non-technical style for the general reader.
- Reconstruction
- Rotary honestone
- Prickspur
- Coin
- Glass bead
- Perforated ceramic
Jun-Oct 2011
Archer completed a number of road projects for local authorities over the summer including the N59 Sligo, N86 Annascaul to Dingle, N60 Oran Co Roscommon and N51 Drogheda.
Testing on the N60 revealed a significant ecclesiastical site, works on the N86 revealed scattered Bronze Age features which have now been excavated.
- N60
- N59 Sligo
- N86 Annascaul
- Trenching
- N52
- N59
