A seminar on the County Westmeath Heritage Plan 2010-2015 will take place in the Shamrock Lodge Hotel on Monday May 25, from 8-10pm.
Since the plan was prepared in November 2010, the working groups have been implementing the actions which were identified. Now, the Archaeological Working Group of the Heritage Forum has organised a seminar on Westmeath’s Ring Barrows.
This seminar will be part of an informative and important lecture series on Prehistoric Burial Mounds in County Westmeath.
Archaeologist Dr David McGuinness will speak on the important survey work he has been undertaking over the past three years under the auspices of Westmeath Heritage Forum.
Dr McGuinness will describe the work on barrows which are prehistoric burial mounds dating back to the Bronze Age. These features are particularly well represented in Westmeath and many have been misclassified in previous surveys.
He will be accompanied by Emeritius Professor of Archaeology at UCD Mr Michael Herity who has published extensively on mottes and mounds in Ireland. He will examine the provenance of some of the magnificent features in Westmeath such as the famous one near Lough Ennell - Dun na Sgiath - and a further one in Rathconrath.
Geographer Seamus O’Brien will examine the close association between these prehistoric archaeological features and existing geomorphological features such as kames and kettle holes deposited during the Ice Age. This promises to be a very interesting lecture on the results of a very significant survey.
The survey of prehistoric burial and ritual mounds began in the county in 2012 in the barony of Corkaree and part of the barony of Moyashel and Magheradernon. The 2013 season’s work saw the barony of Rathconrath and parts of the baronies of Moygoish, Moycashel and Moyashel and Magheradernon being examined.
The work survey was continued in the 2014 season when the prehistoric burial mounds of the baronies of Fore, Delvin, and Farbill were examined. As the number of monuments investigated increases, trends recognised in earlier seasons are emphasised.
