Locals lead the way in saving our past

AT A time when archaeological remains are being bulldozed to make way for roads, shopping, farming and housing developments, some communities are taking a stand to protect their heritage.

Surveys by the Heritage Council and other agencies show that such remains are under greater threat than at any previous time. It is estimated that well over 30% of the State’s monuments have been levelled and the rate of destruction has increased to an unprecedented 10% per decade.

This material is being destroyed at an alarming rate of about 1,500 sites per year, according to state sources.

Excavations during major roadworks, for instance, regularly reveal archaeological treasures, burial grounds, remnants of old buildings, tunnels and other remains that nobody previously knew existed. Such discoveries have led to bitter battles, often ending in the courts, and delays in construction projects as people seek to save what they regard as our history and heritage.

A small rural community close to the Cork/Kerry border is showing the way by developing the 10-hectare Bonane Heritage Park which, some archaeologists suggest, has the potential to be placed on a similar footing to Boyne Valley, in Meath, or the Céide Fields, in Mayo.

Located between the Sheehy and Caha Mountains, on the Kenmare to Glengarriff road, the area is steeped in history, with more than 250 sites of significance found in the parish.

Such sites prove that people have lived in the area for up to 6,000 years but what sets the heritage park apart is the large number of monuments found in such close proximity. The park has seven principal features — a ring fort, a famine ruin, stone circle and boulder burial, a fulacht fiadh (old cooking pit), a bullaun stone and a standing stone.

This was a community-based project from day one, started in 1999 by Bonane Community Council which obtained the support of South Kerry Development Partnership.

A local forestry, which was known to contain ancient monuments, was leased from Coillte and local people were asked to take shares in the project. So far, €30,000 has been spent, of which €20,000 came from the community, but that does not include an input by FÁS and voluntary labour.

“Primarily, the idea was to preserve these archaeological and historical sites. If there’s going to be an educational or tourism spin-off, so much the better,” said project PRO Pat O’Sullivan.

“We’ve received valued assistance from Dr Niall Gregory, archaeologist, and some of his colleagues who voluntarily carried a preliminary survey. Dr Gregory’s conclusion is that Bonane has a wealth and diversity of multi-period monuments dating from the Stone Age to the relatively recent past.”

Luckily, the forestry had been planted by hand, in 1962, which ensured that the fort and stone circle were left untouched. The removal of trees in the last few years to clear the site was also conducted sensitively so that no damage would be caused to any of the remains. Next step is to replant the ground with native, deciduous trees.

The hope is that Bonane could become a site of national or international importance. It is regarded as extremely rare that so many sites spanning 6,000 years of history could be found in such a small area. The stone circle is described as a fine example of this type of monument, linked to druidic ritual and found mainly in West Cork and Kerry. It is believed to date back to 3000BC to 2000BC. Archaeologists speculate that the circle is at the hub of a complex astronomical calendar, including both solar and lunar alignments, and is in line with other monuments in the area.

Also standing out is the ring fort. Traditionally, such forts were used as burial places of unbaptised babies.

The outlines of such burials, with rough headstones, are still visible in the fort.

Also visible are the raised remains of potato ridges (known as lazy beds), thought locally to date from famine times.

Bonane Heritage Park was officially opened yesterday by Arts and Tourism Minister John O’Donoghue.