Barney Devine on the importance of a Fermanagh crannog site

The crannog – occupied from the 6th or 7th Century to the 17th Century – revealed layers of occupation across 1,000 years. A mini village on a lake.

As the drama unfolded, news of the emerging finds attracted huge public interest. A petition demanded that archaeologists be given more time to complete the excavation.

Environment Minister Alex Attwood extended its duration three times, and his statements about the unique value of the finds and their potential for enhanced tourism in the town and county generated great excitement and optimism, as it presented an opportunity to link its cultural value to the economic realm.

When the final deadline for the excavation was reached, the site was covered over, the road finished, and the then forthcoming G8 summit in Enniskillen got the enhanced transport corridor it needed.

After the dig, the controversy continued. An official Government report cited that mapping and planning errors were causes, along with miscommunication between agencies.

DFI Roads Service was unaware of the existence of the crannog before work began, and stated that, had it known, it would have built around it rather than through it.

Meanwhile, archaeologists pointed out that the existence of the crannog had been documented since 1835, and also in the recent Historic Environment Division’s map of scheduled historic monuments. None of the agencies came out smelling of roses, in what was an embarrassing and unsavoury affair, indeed.

Despite initial mistakes, the rescue dig was resumed with a new excavation director, Dr. Nora Bermingham, who together with colleagues showed Drumclay to be the key-type site for the understanding of crannogs in Ireland, and that it provided an unparalleled record into Early Medieval Ireland like nowhere else.

The level of preservation at the wetland site was extraordinary. Nearly 5,500 objects were found, of which 3,500 were pottery fragments.

Artefacts included amber, antler, animal bones, copper alloy, glass, gold, iron, leather, pottery, stone, textile, and wood.

Many personal items included 34 combs, a gold ring and 127 copper alloy dress pins, iron shears, and amber beads thought to be pre-Viking.

Wooden domestic utensils included barrels, bowls, boxes, buckets, cups, dishes, ladles, lids, gaming pieces, a canoe, and a turning key.

With such a rich hoard found on our doorstep, and with plaudits that it was of national and international importance, thoughts turned to the possibility of Fermanagh County Museum providing a permanent home for the collection and becoming a centre of excellence for the study of this period and dwelling type. 

But all this was back in the autumn of 2012. Since then, the Drumclay artefacts have been stored and stabilised in a Historic Environment Division warehouse in Enniskillen.

The finds have imposed on us a duty of care so they can be handed down to future generations, and Minister Attwood’s pronouncements on the importance of the value of cultural capital inherited from our past, linked to current economic development, still ring true.

But how can we do this, when we don’t know if there are plans to keep the entire collection intact for permanent exhibition in our local museum, or if it will be broken up and the artefacts taken elsewhere, such as Belfast? 

These fabulous treasures in their entirety must remain in Enniskillen, where they were found. Their display and interpretation would be a game changer for our local museum and undoubtedly improve the tourism and visitor experience for the area.

This is a truly important opportunity for Fermanagh and Omagh District Council through its Visitor Experience Development Plan to showcase this aspect of our heritage. 

The tile of this article has been modified and borrowed from the book, ‘Men who Eat Ringforts’, which examines the destruction of ring forts in Ireland as part of motorway schemes and infrastructural development.

It can be purchased from https://askeatonarts.com/publications/men-who-eat-ringforts.