Reminder: Open Day on Dun Ailinne tomorrow

There will be an Open Day tomorrow, Sunday, on Dun Ailinne, the ancient royal site on the land owned by the Thompson family, writes Brian Byrne.

There is an archaeological 'dig' in progress on the site at the moment, under the direction of Dr Susan Johnston of the Anthropology Department of George Washington University.

The Open Day will run from 1pm-4pm, with Dr Johnston giving the introductory talk at 1pm and Professor Pam Crabtree of New York University will be talking at 2:30pm.

"We'll talk a little about the site itself, what Professor Bernard Wailes found in the late 60s and early 70s, and also what we have been doing this year," Dr Johnston told the Diary. "And there will be ample time for questions."

There will be a €5 charge at the gate and the proceeds will be donated to the Friends of St Brigid's Hospice. Parking will be available in the lower field, courtesy of the Thompson family.

As the site is on private property, the Thompsons emphasise that people will enter at their own risk, and they will not be liable for any injury or loss by visitors to the open day.

Dr Johnston, in white hat, supervising local volunteers at the 2016 dig.

A specialist in Irish prehistory, Dr Johnston's areas of expertise include Iron Age archaeology, archaeology of religion and ritual, petroglyphs and rock art.

She has spent a number of summers here directing geophysical surveys of Dún Ailínne, and in 2016 carried out excavations, the first since those by the late Professor Wailes.

This is also the 10th year since the inauguration of the Dun Ailinne Interpretive Park at Nicholastion, where full information about the site and its importance is available.

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