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The Men Who Eat Ringforts

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The Men Who Eat Ringforts environment raths – cashels – ring or fairy forts – are the circular mounds familiar from The Men Who Eat Irish folklore and landscape. Only a small number of ring forts have been excavated, but archaeologists now generally agree that Ringforts they were constructed largely in the Medieval period with as many as two-thirds built between 600 AD and 900 AD. 44% of ireland’s once-sacred fairy forts Fairy forts have long been protected by folklore. The sudden gusts and whirlwinds have disappeared or been destroyed. of dusty country roads were caused by the progress of fairy beings. Imbued with Druids’ tony lowes magic, fairy forts were seen as entrances to the world of the ‘good people’. Strange sounds and lights emanated from them; tradition holds that a Leprechaun may know of hidden gold in a fairy fort. Even cutting brush, especially whitethorn, on fairy forts was reputed to be the death of 64 — village October - November 2010 have begun as a simple ringfort. Excavations the Kilmurray ring forts this summer as “willful at Garranes in north Cork revealed the royal destruction”, calling for our justice system “to site of Ui Echach Muman of the Eoganacht flex its muscles”. Raitnlind. Evidence suggests that ring forts Gibbons, who spoke out publicly about played a part in ancient Irish mating rituals the loss at Dun Angus, spent 10 years as with animals slain for fertility sacrifices. Director of the National Archaeological Often the ring forts had souterrains – Survey Programme and recently completed a underground passages or caves. Used for 5-year term as a member of the Archaeology storage, they also appear to have been places Committee of the Heritage Council. He says to hide when under attack. that changes in Irish farming have accelerated In 2004, more than 800 metres of the the loss of archaeological sites. “As farm sizes earthen works that surrounded the 3,000 increase and smaller farms decline, farmers year old Dun Mor Fort on the Dingle Peninsula are gobbling up land they have no connection were levelled and a standing stone with with. We are losing a lot of monuments, an inscription obliterated. Galway-based especially in Munster”. archaeologist Michael Gibbons said at the The Heritage Council Report supports time that Dun Mor was one of the biggest this, reporting that the cause of the loss of settlements of its kind in Europe. “The average archaeological sites was “land improvement” ring fort was around 30 metres in diameter. in 57% of the cases in their study. Forestry is This was 500-600 metres”. He called its widely recognised as a virtually uncontrolled destruction “vandalism on an unbelievable destructive force for archaeology, with only scale”. No one was prosecuted, even though one archaeologist for the entire national- the Government had spent the previous two forestry-programme-targetted 20,000 years unsuccessfully negotiating the purchase hectares a year. of the site from the landowner. A Judgment of the European Court of Justice In July of this year, a Cork dairy farmer in 2006 specifically identified the “risk of purchased an extensive dairy farm at accelerated destruction of archaeological Knockacareigh, near Kilmurray in north Cork. remains that is directly connected with projects Within a week, he had demolished two ring for the restructuring of rural land holdings and forts, both marked clearly on the maps on the land drainage projects”. estate agent’s website. The Macroom gardaí refused to investigate when approached by a resident over the weekend while work was still proceeding. They required an official request from the National Monuments Service or the “…no one has ever County Council - both of which were closed. The same family was previously responsible been successfully for three other ringfort destructions in the County, two on a Bank Holiday weekend prosecuted under in October 1993 at Shandangan near Crookstown and another on a further farm the National they had purchased at Roughgrove West, Monuments Acts”. near Bandon. The records show that the owners denied access to the land to National Monument Archaeologists when they came on the following Tuesday. In the 1980s in the townland of Gneeves, That judgment is now reaching the stage those who performed the act. between Millstreet and Mallow, a farmer of a return to Court for daily fines for non- Originally simple homesteads protected destroyed the half of an extensive ringfort that compliance. It drew attention to the failure by one or more ditches, their purpose would lay on his own land, leaving the half owned by of Ireland to meet the requirements of the have been to protect against wolves and to his neighbour untouched. The remaining half Environmental Impact Assessment Directive defend against raids by enemies. Ring forts of the ringfort was still respected by the owner. with “particular attention to landscapes were often located within view of one another Even on his deathbed in 1996, he reminded his of historical, cultural or archaeological so beacon fires could be used as a warning son to keep it fenced off and untouched. significance”. network. The banks protected both the On October 21, 2009, the son was away But under the current legislation, the only inhabitants and their cattle. for his Uncle’s funeral. He returned to find that offence that can be investigated is a failure At their peak, ringforts were the home of the neighbour had levelled the remaining half to give two months’ notice of works to the the country’s population and there may have of the ringfort. Government. In fact, no one has ever been been as many as 60,000 across rural Ireland – These are not isolated incidents. A 2000 successfully prosecuted under the National compared to today’s 400,000 rural houses. publication by the Heritage Council of seven Monuments Acts. Some contained stone huts and many study areas totalling 600 square miles - or An independent National Monuments show successive generations of timber 2.2% of the land area in the Republic of Ireland Service was one of the victims of Fianna Fáil’s structures. The Normans – and later the - found that 34% of the monuments known to 2002 disbandment of Dúchas, the Heritage Gaelic Irish – converted existing ringforts exist in the study area had been destroyed and Service. Called “that brave and noble vision” into earthwork castles. a further 10% could not be found. by The Irish Times’ nature correspondent Ringforts even became Royal Sites. Tara may The Irish Examiner characterised the loss of Michael Viney, Dúchas was swallowed by 65 environment the Department of the Environment after KNOCKACAREIGH RINGFORTS FROM AUCTIONEERS SITE farmer protests over designations for bird protection. http://www.bradygroup.ie/Land/rochefarm.htm The National Monuments Service’s hands are now tied as it tries to fight its corner in the planning system. “The Minister has no power to bring a prosecution”, confirms Paul Walsh, head of the Department’s National Monument Service, adding wryly that “we try not to advertise the loopholes”. William O’Brien, Professor of Archaeology at University College Cork, outlines the biggest loophole. “Until all landowners have been legally notified of the presence of registered archaeological sites on their land, it is not possible to have effective protection of these sites”. National Monuments does not agree. Above: centre of picture in centre of field is ringfort While acknowledging “current operational Below: top circled ringfort is photo above issues”, Walsh cites the publication in national and local papers of notices between 1995 and 1998 as satisfying the requirements for landowner notification and as a counter to the defences of ‘ignorance’. In Ireland, however, personal notification has always been used when legislation affects the rights of landowners – Compulsory Purchase Orders, Easements, and even designation under the European Habitats and Birds Directives all require individual notification of the landowner. In the latter case personal notification – as opposed to notices in newspapers - was a national choice, as the Directive does not require it. With the Gardaí uncertain of their powers to enter land solely on requests from the public (as was the case with animal welfare) there is effectively zero protection for archaeological sites in Ireland. In the case of the ringforts destroyed at Kllmurray, O’Brien suggests that it’s wrong to say that the sites have in fact been ‘destroyed’. He points out that many of the sub-surface features - artefacts, souterrains - may still survive. In the absence of any possibility of punitive recourse or forced reinstatement, O’Brien, who is also Chairman of the Royal Irish Academy’s Archaeological Committee, has suggested that “the State always has the option of placing preservation orders on levelled sites, bearing in mind these still contain buried archaeological remains”. These measures are within the Minister’s nor more editorials will alter the situation Departments directly that has transformed a powers and would give the State control of where no one – not even the Minister for the once daunting task. these sites. At the least it would require the Environment – has the powers to prosecute Unless something is done, Ireland not landowner to protect the site and prevent landowners who destroy recorded national only risks the (expensive) ire of the European him from further benefiting from the monuments. Court, but puts in jeopardy its applications destruction. And even if he or she was given such to UNESCO for further World Heritage Sites Public shame is another weapon, and the powers under the forthcoming revision of the – like the Cliffs of Moher. Under Article 5 of the outrage in County Cork over the levelling National Monuments Act, every landowner United Nations’ World Heritage Convention, of the Kilmurray ringforts this summer would still have to be notified of the sites signatories must “take the appropriate legal AGES was genuine.
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