Robert M Chapple, Archaeologist

It’s no secret that many denizens of east Ulster regard anywhere ‘West of the Bann’ as a wild, lawless frontier populated with teuchters. I’m sure that it goes the other way too and those folks look east and judge us just as harshly. potayto/potahto. The Ferman-o-Monster ( © Trustees of the British Museum ) However, as part of my research on artefacts of Irish origin in the British Museum ( here ) I was surprised to come across evidence of how far back this kind of geographical sectarianism goes. The image above was published by Elias Bäck in Augsburg, Germany, around 1740. It is a satire on the alleged savagery of the native Irish as claimed by Scottish planters in the 1690s. I’m not entirely sure why it took 50 years for the Scot’s tales of wild goings on in darkest Fermanagh to be ridiculed in Germany, but that’s another story. In the foreground we see one of these fearless Scots, having managed to fit a bridle on the man-eating creature, displaying the beast for th...

For anyone interested, the Ulster Museum is hosting The Archaeology of Atlantic Crossings: Early Explorations, Trade and Migration on Saturday 7th May 2016. As noted in the poster, the day-conference is free, but advance booking is advised . It looks like it's going to be an excellent day, with a collection of great speakers!

Dave Pollock is a well-known archaeologist and illustrator working in Ireland. He’s currently trying to raise funding to print his rather excellent view of Waterford as it was in the mid-17th century. If, like me, you admire his work & think it’s a worthwhile thing to do, read on from Dave himself: Waterford in the mid-17th century (click for larger version) “I’m printing a wall poster ( A1 size ) of the bird’s-eye view of Waterford in the mid-17th century, with notes on some of the points of interest scribbled on, a bit like the draft I’m holding in the photo. It’s ready to print but I can’t cover the cost so I’m looking for sponsors. I’m looking for 50 people to contribute  € 20 apiece, in return for which they will have their names recorded in small print on the margin and they will receive a signed copy in the post. This is not an advertising opportunity, I won’t be printing the names of businesses, just 50 individuals, or couples.   I don’t want money now...