Robert M Chapple, Archaeologist

I recently became aware that I had a couple of gaps in my collection of Emania, The Bulletin of the Navan Research Group. I promptly popped along to the http://www.curach-bhan.com website and they were soon in my possession. Today's post is a shameless plug for this great Journal and the hard work that Curach Bhán publications do to bring it together. Go on - have a look at their website, browse their wares, order a couple of volumes! If you want to see independent journals & their publishers* survive you've got to support them. Emania – Bulletin of the Navan Research Group 22, 2014 Ranke de Vries: The Ulster Cycle in the Netherlands J.P. Mallory and Gina Baban: Excavations in Haughey’s Fort East Meriel McClatchie: Food Production in the Bronze Age: Analysis of Plant Macro-remains from Haughey’s Fort, Co. Armagh Gina Baban: Late Bronze Age Pottery from the Excavations at Haughey’s Fort East Dirk Brandherm: Late Bronze Age casting debris and other base metal...

With the passing of Billy Dunlop, on the 15th of September 2011, Irish archaeology lost one of it great promoters and enthusiasts. I cannot claim to have known Billy longest or best, but, like many field archaeologists working in Northern Ireland, I owe him a vast debt of gratitude for his kindness and generosity. For those stories shared over cups of tea on site or for the books lent to me from his personal collection I was, and remain, grateful. In time, I trust, appropriate obituaries and appreciations will appear from the pens of others better acquainted with more aspects of his life. My intention here is to set down a general outline of his life along with some of my memories of this energetic and charismatic man, who I am privileged to have known and been able to call both a mentor and a friend. Billy was born in 1920 in Court Street, Newtownards, and grew up on Deleware St, off the Ravenhill Road, Belfast. At the age of 14 he joined The Post Office as a telegraph mess...