CO LOUTH ARCHÆOLOGICAL AND HISTORICAL SOCIETY
Hon. Secretary’s Report for 2015 to the Annual General Meeting
Membership: Forty-five new members were welcomed to the Society during the year; their names are given in the final paragraph of this report. Losses numbered twenty-nine; sixteen were deemed to have lapsed, six resigned and seven were taken from us by death. These last were Mr Paddy Barry, Mr Patrick Lynch (Collon), Mr Patrick Manley, Mr Jackie Martin, Mr Patrick Rochford, Miss Nancy (Anne T.) Sharkey and Mr Gerry McDonnell (Drogheda). Gerry joined the Society in 1982 and had served on the Council since 1987. He fully took part in the life of the Society and his contribution was greatly valued. At the end of the year membership stood at 704, including one honorary member and 47 life members.
Lectures: Six lectures were held during the year: ‘The Flurry Valley, Ravensdale, Co Louth’ by Don Johnston in Ravensdale on 26 February; ‘Edward Bruce's Campaign in Ireland (1315)’ by Prof Seán Duffy in Dundalk on 5 March; ‘Monastery to Mansion: Tudor re-modelling at Mellifont and related sites’ by Dr Geraldine Stout in Drogheda on 26 March; ‘John MacMoyer: Destroyer of Oliver Plunkett’ by Éamonn Ó hUallacháin in Dundalk on 5 November; ‘What lies beneath our feet: Recent archaeological assessments in Drogheda’ by Jon Stirland in Drogheda on 26 November and ‘Frank Aiken 1922-1932: From rebellion to Government’ by Dr Donal Hall in Ardee on 3 December.
Excursions: The excursion programme started on 20 June with the all-day outing to Co Sligo. The first stop was to the restored plantation castle once owned by the Parke family. Dating from the early seventeenth century it is situated on the shores of Lough Gill. The tour continued along the lakeside to St Angela's College where the awaited lunch was enjoyed along with a brief talk by Sam Moore on the archaeology of the area. That visit concluded with some tunes with a local flavour. The final port of call was Lissadell House, home of the Gore-Booth family and in particular Countess Markievicz. The Society visited the house a week after Yeats' '150th' birthday so the poet and his connections were very topical. An enjoyable meal in Monaghan completed the day.
A visit to New Mellifont Monastery and a walking tour of Collon took place on 5 July. The excursion was led by Michael Reid and Seamus Roe. As well as a stop at the 'Green' the emphasis was on the three churches, the decorative work on the ceiling in the sanctuary of the Community Chapel at New Mellifont was viewed. Seamus spoke in this chapel and at the Church of Ireland. Michael took the group through the various aspects associated with the Roman Catholic Church.
Coinciding with Heritage Week, the excursion on 29 August consisted of a ‘Mountain Walk in Glendurrougha’ in the valley above Doolargy. A group of about sixty were treated to an enjoyable and informative tour led by Paul Gosling. The archaeological features of 'Lisachiggel' were explored and the local associations with the Táin Bó Cúailnge were recounted. Various agricultural features such as houses, huts, folds, walls and mearings were also pointed out.
The final outing was led by Tom Reilly who provided an interesting and detailed tour of Drogheda's town walls. Sections of the walls near St Mary's Church of Ireland graveyard, the Bridge of Peace, St Laurence's Gate and Millmount featured on the walk.
Journal: The 2014 Journal (Vol. 28, No. 2) was distributed in July. Members in arrears with their subscriptions did not receive the Journal but may obtain a copy by forwarding the appropriate amount to the Hon. Treasurer. Members are reminded that contributions to the Journal are always welcome. Articles, long or short, notes and queries may be sent to the editor at any time.
Archaeological Discoveries: Some test trenches on a site of a proposed car park, adjacent to the Magdalene Tower, Drogheda, formerly Callan's, were dug during the year as part of a pre-planning stage. Archaeological deposits were uncovered in all the trenches and included demolition rubble of medieval date, several burials, medieval floor tiles and pottery, and some walls. A gargoyle-like or a sheela-na-gig type stone was relocated during the year in the Chord Cemetery.
An archaeological survey was initiated during the year at Kildemock graveyard. This coincided with the 300th anniversary of the phenomenon known as the 'Jumping Church'. The survey aimed to use modern techniques to investigate the phenomenon. Fieldwork was professionally undertaken during the month of June and it involved geophysical and topographic surveys in the vicinity of the church. Magnetic gradiometry, earth resistance and electrical resistivity tomography surveys were also carried out. The results of the survey are expected shortly.
Field Name Project: Following the successful launch of the Field Names book in November 2014, the sales of the book surpassed expectation. The interactive website went on-line and was officially launched on 24 November at the County Library by Mr John McCullen. Copies of the complete lists of field names are to be available at the branches of Louth County Library. The website address is:
http://www.louthcoco.ie/en/Services/Library/Louth_Field_Names_Project/
Carstown House: The deterioration of Carstown House was noted in late 2014, this followed the removal of lead from the roof valleys together with damage to surrounding slates. The building is now seriously exposed and therefore at a much higher risk than had previously been the case. Carstown House is a protected structure of national importance and is a recorded monument dating to Elizabethan times. The Society applied to the 'Community Heritage Fund 2015' of the Heritage Council for funding to investigate the condition of the building and to identify the work needed to repair the roof in order to protect the building. The report was completed and forwarded to relevant and interested groups. It is hoped that a way can be found to fund the actual emergency repairs needed to prevent further damage.
Archival Material: In the autumn the County Archive acquired the archive of the Taaffe family of Smarmore. The Society was in a position to assist with the purchase. The material in the archive includes family letters, account books, estate records, photographs and old passports.
An indenture dated 1647 was purchased by the Society during the year. It is extremely rare to come across such documentation from this period. It tells us something regarding the governance of Dundalk during the parliamentary period.
Council meetings and general meetings: The business of the Society was transacted at eleven Council meetings, which were held in Ardee (3), Drogheda (3), Dundalk (3) and Dunleer (2). Our thanks are renewed to those who provided accommodation and hospitality for these meetings. The Annual General Meeting was held at Ardee Community School on 27 January.
New Members (45): Robert Beggs, Jessica Belton, Breda Brennan, Kevin Brennan, Julianne Byrne,Paul Byrne, Joe Callan, Eileen Connolly, AnneDearey, Michael Doherty, Aisling Durkan, Elma Dwyer, Conor Farrell, Mrs E. Joan Feehan, Anne Goodall, Ray Goodall, Sheila Grimes, Stephen Higgins, Brian Hoey, Charles Johnston, Conor Kavanagh, Donna Lawless, Elizabeth Lennon,Joan Levins, Domenico Lucheroni, BrendanMcAvinue,Olive McBride, Anthony McCabe, Gerald McClean, Maureen McGahan, Jerome McGinnity, Neil McKellar, Phil Muldoon, David Murphy, Eamonn Murphy, Eilish Murphy, Teresa Murphy, Ann O'Flynn, Michael F. O'Neill, David Ring, Ian Russell, JohnToal, GearóidTrimble, Dyanne Tuite and Ken Walsh.
December 2015 Séamus Bellew (Hon. Secretary)