Fascinating Dun Ailinne evening
An almost capacity audience in Kilcullen's Town Hall Theatre was last night treated to a fascinating look back into the area's recent and far past.
The occasion was a talk and discussion on the excavations and likely history of Dun Ailinne, one of Ireland's four key ancient 'royal' sites -- the others being Tara, Cruachan, and Emain Macha near Armagh.
The director of excavations carried out during the 1960s/1970s, Professor Bernard Wailes of the University of Pennsylvania, was the keynote speaker and guest of honour.
Professor Wailes outlined the progress of those excavations at the time, which revealed very many artefacts dating back to Neolithic times as well as more recent Iron Age finds. He said the evidence from the digs, carried out at the top of Dun Ailinne inside the still-visible henge, suggested the location was the scene of periodic assemblies rather than permanent residence.
The excavations also indicated five different phases of development on the hill, in the form of timber enclosures.
"I believe a wealth of archaeology is still to be found around Dun Ailinne," he concluded.
In a subsequent open forum chaired by John Martin, local teacher Noel Clare recalled working as a labourer on the site during his student summers, for what was 'great money' at £25 a week. "That was at a time when a pint cost the equivalent of 18 cents," he said. This was presumably important in the context of his observation that when weather became too inclement for working, the team sometimes had to take shelter in nearby Brennans pub at Old Kilcullen!
Dr Kathleen Ryan, who worked on the excavations as Professor Wailes's PA while studying archaeology at UCD, also reminisced about the summers spent on the site. "I got the job because I was prepared to do work that nobody else wanted to," she quipped. "That included working out the wages each week in £sd for 30 workmen, with everyone on different rates. It was a horrendous job until after three seasons we acquired a calculator, and also moved into decimal money."
Judith Barden highlighted in a humourous way other aspects of archaeological life on Dun Ailinne, including the team's transport, such as the Bedford van 'that kept the local mechanic in business for the summer months'. There was too the VW van 'with a matteress for seating in the back' that guzzled more petrol on a trip to Dublin than her Renault 4L did in a week. "We also warned the American students about the nasty habits of nettles, and that they shouldn't be used for hygienic purposes on field trips."
The Dun Ailinne weekend continues today with the dedication of the new Interpretive Park and Noel Scullion's javelin sculpture. This will be preceded by a parade from the Market Square at 2.30pm. From 4pm, the launch of a book on the excavations will take place in the Heritage Centre, followed by the premiere of a special musical piece commissioned from and performed by uileann piper Liam O'Flynn.
There will also be a presentation from Dr Susan Johnston, co-author of the book, on investigations she has undertaken over recent summers with sponsorship from The Heritage Council.
(Here's a photographic record of last evening's event.)
Brian Byrne.
