The Royal Irish Academy (RIA) has allocated funding for a fresh archaeological dig on the grounds of Ballymoon Castle, just a couple of miles outside Bagenalstown.
The dig, which is scheduled to get underway in late April, will be led by a local man, archaeologist Niall O’Neill and will be conducted in partnership with Carlow County Council.
Previous work at Ballymoon has revealed significant activity in the surrounds of the castle in the late 16th and early 17th centuries – but as things stand, nothing is known about what went on there between 1320 and 1550.
The funding for the Ballymoon site was part of a €190,000 funding announcement for projects covered by the Archaeological Research Excavation Grants, Archaeology Legacy Grants and Archaeological Archival Research Grants schemes.
The schemes are supported by the National Monuments Service (Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage) and will enable several archaeological research projects to take place across the country this year.
Other excavation projects previously funded by the Archaeology Research Excavation grants include excavations of the Viking Woodstown site just outside Waterford City, investigations at Castlepook in County Cork and n analysis of a destroyed court tomb on the Maree Peninsula in County Galway.
“These three distinct but complementary grant schemes, will facilitate a diverse range of research centred on archaeological excavation – whether new, old or from the archives,” said Mary Deevy, Chair of the Standing Committee for Archaeology at the Royal Irish Academy. “Exciting results are anticipated some of which will change the face of Irish archaeology as we know it!’
KCLR’s Dermot Keyes spoke to Niall O’Neill about the pending project at a site where, intriguingly, construction of the castle was never completed.
