Swords Castle – Digging up History (part 1)

Irish National Heritage Week - volunteering to dig Swords Castle Archeology. Despite the hard work and rain, we had lots of fun and interesting finds so far. Volunteers over 18 needed through September 11. #swordscastle #archaeological #archaeology #excav

Technically, Swords Castle isn’t a castle. It’s a fortified house which once belonged to the first Anglo-Norman Archbishop of Dublin, John Comyn, and was built around 1200. The “castle” underwent a few different iterations, first as a wooden palisade and then a stone structure. It’s interesting because the “palace” did house the archbishop’s own knights, a separate tower for the Constable (who was responsible for the day to day running of the location – as the Archbishop mostly came in Summer or on through trips), and had a banqueting hall to the right (now a ruin) and a multi story chapel (once located where the one story chapel from the 13th century is today). The site not only held regular “judicial” practices for the region but also held an ecclesiastical court.

After Robert The Bruce came through Ireland in 1317, parts of the fortified house / palace began falling in disrepair. Use of other parts of the site, however, continued until the 15th century as there are records of retired archbishops being stationed here. Eventually, the castle was sold on to a family and used as parts of orchards.

Today, the castle is undergoing a series of 2 week long community participation Archaeological digs supervised by Fingal Community Archaeologist: Christine Baker. You can find out more about when they are held and participate yourself much like I did for two days:

http://www.fingal.ie/planning-and-buildings/heritage-in-fingal/swordscastledigginghistory/

The archaeology is in preparation for renovations to be held on the site (some of the modern buildings along the street are to be pulled down) and to allow for further discovery and historical preservation of the location. I decided to join the dig for 2 days and was placed into the third trench. There were two other trenches –

Trench 1: looking for the remains of the great hall

Trench 2: Looking for the edges of the chapel, and a middle ages floor

The map below might help give an idea of the layout:

Starting out, Trench 3 it was dry, cool, and decent weather. Stephen, the archaeologist seen in the picture, gave us 2 meters instead of the 3 we had planned, because we were short on people power.

And so it was we got stuck in. We had to remove the Sod off the top – and place it to the side in “brick” shaped piles. This took until Lunch.

After lunch, We started gradually digging down, layer by layer.

By the third layer, we started getting a few finds. There were bits of pottery, slate roof tiles, and yes, even bone.

While I was there, we found several pieces of bone fragment, roof slates, medieval tiles, pottery, and lots of bits of metal (see the pictures).

Pottery rim

bottle glass

a few Human and animal bones

Can you see the slate roof tiles here?

At the end of the day, we documented where we were, and packed up to head home. Tomorrow, Day two, from Swords Castle.

Verdant Verdemont

I moved this summer. And as a part of the new place to live, told the new landlord that I’d redo the garden. This involved removing all of the rock from the ground, replacing the ‘weed barrier’, and then putting the rocks back down. While all this was happening, I had to bang in a few new wooden edging panels and think about what plants I wanted to put in the flower bed.

These are the before (you can see the barrier, the overgrown, etc):

What’s funny is that when I started this process, I had a shovel and a tarp to one side. As I started working, I was by myself.

Within an hour, I had 2 children sitting on steps and watching me. Within an hour and a half this number was 4 with 3 more in and out as the work progressed. Picture me shovelling up a bunch of rocks, tossing them to the tarp and being questioned by kids over everything from what I was doing, to asking about flowers, to etc. Eventually, they asked could they help. Naturally, me being me, I sent them off to get permission from their moms, and let their mom know where / who I am and what I’m doing. They came back and suddenly I had multiple little helpers with small hand trowels, and a pair of shovels, eager to “play” in the dirt and have it be “ok”.

3 hours later, with the rocks and old weed barrier removed…the squares for the barbeque area in – and new rocks being put down by my roommate (who arrived home from work in time to laugh at my barrage of helpers):

5 hours later – everything was put back in place, and thanks to the neighborhood kids – I had a great welcome to my neighborhood. Check out the difference:

Why I Would Vote “Yes” for Equality

“Yes Equality” by Catherine Cronin

On Friday, May 22, Ireland will make remarkable step for a country in which homosexuality was illegal until just 22 years ago. They will hold a referendum for Same Sex Marriage Equality. A vote. Will LGBT adults be allowed to Marry, or will they be relegated to “civil partnership” and being second class citizens? Soon we shall find out. The poles are close, and every vote is going to count in this referendum. I live in Ireland now, and while I don’t have a vote, and I am straight, I look at the people around me as a woman, and I know in my heart I would vote “yes” to Gay Marriage if I could.

Why?

In my own country, the US, state by state, LGBT rights for marriage and civil partnership are slow to come – and being battled in the courts. In the US there is no vote, and just like in many other places in the world, in both countries the issue is very controversial. I think it’s important that we all have the chance to have a voice – and not force the courts to decide this for the country, something that I applaud Ireland for putting to a referendum, because it is about equality – something which civil partnerships (in Ireland) are not. Your voice in this case, is done by casting your vote. If you don’t vote, your voice isn’t being used.

There are 160 legal differences between civil marriage and a civil partnership. This makes those who are same sex couples less “equal” in the eyes of the law. Most importantly, Civil partnership prevents the “partner” as being recognized as “next of kin” in inheritance, hospital visitation . medical decisions, social supports like welfare / unemployment / disability, and for those who have children (adopted, or from previous relationships) it neglects the bonds between parents and children. Imagine something happens to your partner and being unable to inherit the house you both worked so hard to pay for, that you can’t visit your loved one in hospital, or that your children (where you’re the only living parent they have known) are taken away and put into the foster system because you’re not recognized as a parent (because you can’t be put on the birth or adoption certificate). Completely unfair – all because you are with someone of the same gender. I just can’t justify it in my mind.

I believe that love between adults and commitment knows no bounds. I believe that if you love someone and want to have all the rights that Marriage brings, you should be allowed to commit to that person legally, and have all the same rights that marriage brings. It doesn’t devalue my commitment to someone else, it doesn’t devalue my commitment to children, nor does it devalue my love for any of them. It strengthens it – because I know that there is a chance for happiness. And hey, with 50% of all ‘straight’ marriages ending in divorce – we sure can’t do any worse letting ‘same sex’ folks get married, right? If you’re committed to marriage, you are. If you’re not you’re not. That’s the long and the short of it.

I believe that in each generation, we get a chance to change the future – for the better – and reaffirm our belief in equality regardless of race, creed, color, gender, or sexuality. This is my generation’s chance to change history for the better.

Once upon a time, there was legalized slavery in the US (and many other countries). Once upon a time, women couldn’t vote or own property. Once upon a time, people of color were segregated and had to sit at the back of the bus, have different education, and couldn’t drink from the same drinking fountains. Once upon a time, it was illegal for people to marry cross color (eg. Whites couldn’t marry blacks). Once upon a time, it was illegal to marry across religions (Catholics could only marry Catholics, Protestants only marry Protestants). We have come so far that today – all of these are laughable and un-relatable points in history for most of us. As Millennials, look back at them and say “why” and “I don’t get it”? I want to add LGBT being prevented from Marrying to this list. In fact, I would be proud to add this to the thick dusty annals of history.

I want to be on the right side of history. I don’t want to have a child ever ask me why they aren’t “equal” if they love someone of the same gender, or ask me why we didn’t pass equality when we had the chance. I don’t want to tell them that they’re not “equal” or that “something” was ‘wrong’ with them because of who they are attracted to or fall in love with. When the time comes, I don’t want to be seen like those racists protesting at the University of Alabama in the 1960’s when the first black students crossed the threshold trying to get an education. I don’t want to be seen like the Nazis who committed atrocities toward the Jews in the 1940s. I don’t want to be seen as someone who didn’t stand up and “do something” or “say something” when I had the chance. No, as an American, I can’t vote. But I do have a voice. And I do have a Blog, and I do have the ability to show my support.

So, there it is. My voice in an adopted country which I have come to love very much. I strongly encourage everyone to vote. I would YES for marriage equality, and hope you will too.

Phoenix Rose's Blog

The Chronicles of a Girl, Her Dog, and a Lifelong Journey…

Ireland

Swords Castle – Digging up History (part 1)

Verdant Verdemont

Why I Would Vote “Yes” for Equality