Robert M Chapple, Archaeologist

I am very lucky. I have cancer. These are two sentences that on first analysis don’t fit particularly well together. At least, until recently, I didn’t think they did, but they do. Perhaps I should be more specific. I had cancer. Past tense. Earlier this summer I underwent a small procedure to excise a lesion from my forehead. The biopsy confirmed that I had squamous cell carcinoma. It’s gone now, but it might be back. While I won’t require chemotherapy or radiotherapy, I will be under intense monitoring for at least the next year. Appropriate Beach Wear As cancers go, this isn’t a bad one to have. It could have been so much worse. I really am very lucky. It all started about a year ago when I got a spot on my forehead. Not a big deal! … except that it didn’t heal up. I realised that this was my fault – I kept picking at it. Not deliberately of course but I’d frequently find that, despite my best efforts, I’d have picked at it in a distracted moment and th...

The British Museum holds 17 items identified as coming from Co Mayo along with one listed as coming from Galway/Mayo. The majority of these (15) are assigned to the Bronze Age. The most common object types are musical horns and pins (four each). All 18 artefacts are made of Metal. < Table of Contents Bronze Age: Metal items Mayo musical horn 19930601.200 Copper alloy musical horn; ends and most of one side lacking. http://britishmuseum.org/research/collection_online/collection_object_details.aspx?objectId=807154&partId=1 Mayo musical horn 19930601.3.a Copper alloy musical horn fragment with loop. Joins 1993,0601.3.b. http://britishmuseum.org/research/collection_online/collection_object_details.aspx?objectId=807155&partId=1 Mayo musical horn 19930601.3.b Copper alloy musical horn. Fragment, joins 1993,0601.3.a. http://britishmuseum.org/research/collection_online/collection_object_details.aspx?objectId=807156&partId=1 May...

< 3D Images <Table of Contents The next place on my itinerary wasn’t too far from Knockmany … at least once I’d gotten myself un-lost and back on the main road. I’ve visited Errigal Keerogue Church a few times over the years and it always draws me back. The first time I was taken there I was in the company of the wonderful Chris Lynn, driving back from a Historic Monuments Council meeting. I always enjoyed being in Chris’s company - it was inevitably both a pleasure and an education. On this occasion he was talking about the Clogher valley landscape and a number of his experiences and adventures therein when he mentioned Errigal Keerogue. Had I been there, he asked? Er … no … no I’d not. To be honest, I’d not even heard of it, much less had it on a personal archaeological ‘bucket list’, but I wasn’t going to mention that bit. With that he eased the car onto a side road and after only a few minutes we were parking up in front of a seemingly rather ordinary ruin of a m...

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The British Museum holds six items identified as coming from Co Cavan. The majority of these are assigned to the Early Medieval and Late Neolithic/Early Bronze Age (2 each), followed by the Early Medieval period (2). Only two material types are represented in this assemblage: Metal (4) and Stone (2). < Table of Contents Neolithic/Bronze Age: Stone item Tullygarvey, Barony of discoidal scraper (?); discoidal knife (?) St.140.p Flint knife or scraper, broken, discoidal shape; snapped off at one end; made on a flake; retouched bifacially; dark grey colour. http://britishmuseum.org/research/collection_online/collection_object_details.aspx?objectId=1397683&partId=1 Late Neolithic/Early Bronze Age: Metal item Bailyborough lunula 18710401.200 Gold lunula. Flat sheet crescent of beaten gold. It is decorated with a complex finely-incised geometric pattern. 2400BC-2000BC (circa) http://britishmuseum.org/research/collection_online/collection_object_...