Robert M Chapple, Archaeologist

I've been busy ... busy being happy. Busy being happy and not writing ... I've been making gin [ here ] I've been making bowls [ here ] I've even got some bees [ here ] but most of all, I've been watching movies [ here ] ... so many movies! However, it's time to start releasing some of the movies that I've made of archaeological sites around the countryside. With that in mind, here's a meditative wander through Portora Castle, Co. Fermanagh. Portora is a Plantation Period castle and was built around 1612. I've written a little about it before & published some 3D photos, as well as recounted my part in the excavation of the site back in 1997 [ here ]. For now, enjoy this soothing, immersive 360 degree video  tour around this peaceful castle on the shores of Lough Erne ... You can view this 360-degree video on an ordinary browser or on the dedicated YouTube app for your smartphone. However, for best results we recommend the more immers...

At the end of last year (2020) the Chapple Family were driving back to Belfast from a few days away in Fermanagh & Tyrone when we decided to stop off at Castlecaulfield to see the ruins of the Plantation period house there. The core of the standing structures were constructed on the orders of  Sir Toby Caulfeild between 1611 and 1619  [ Wiki ]. The house was burnt down during the 1641 Rebellion and although it was re-inhabited and renovated, it was in ruins by the end of the century. Today it is a windblown, picturesque ruin that seems very popular with local walkers and strollers. Even in its current state, the sheer size of the ruins gives an impression of its former opulence and  grandeur. Naomi Carver and Colm Donnelly's report on the 2011 excavations at the site note [ here ]: Its original plan would have consisted of a main block with two wings, U-shaped in plan, and with a gatehouse at the north-western corner. The manor-house was originally three stories ...

Belatedly, continuing the tale of the Chapple Family excursion through mid Ulster, we visited the picturesque ruins of Tully Castle on the shores of Lough Erne, in Fermanagh. Tully is a fortified house and bawn built in 1619 for Sir John Hume, a Scottish planter, having dispossessed the native Maguires of their land. Twenty-two years later, during the 1641 Irish Rebellion, Rory Maguire decided to take back those lands. He arrived with his forces at Tully on Christmas Eve to discover that most of the males of the household were absent and the castle was quickly surrendered to him. While the members of the Hume family were escorted away, Maguire ordered the murder of some 75 others and had the castle burnt. Understandably, it was never inhabited again. By the 1970s it looked close to collapse but has been sensitively conserved and is well worth a visit, though the knowledge the so many met a violent end here does seem to add a haunting feeling to the place. Most of the photos you'll ...

< 3D Images < Table of Contents So far on this trip I’ve gone full prehistoric ( Knockmany ), followed it up with an excursion into the Early Christian and Medieval ( Errigal Keerogue ), but now it was time for a trip into the post-Medieval at Portora Castle. Essentially, I’ve been getting younger as I’ve traveled west. The castle is situated on the banks of the Erne and once controlled access between Upper and Lower Lough Erne. The standing structure was, essentially, four circular corner towers, linked by curtain walling, with a three-story house (two floors with attics) at the west end. Today, one of the corner towers is missing, having been eaten away by the river and the house only survives as a foundation line. The lands here were acquired by Sir William Coles in October 1612 and it is thought that the castle was constructed soon after. At some time before 1621 the site was the residence of a Preacher called Mr Stack. The site was leased or sold on to Bisho...

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In March 2015 I had decided to go to wonderful Sligo to be part of the Weather Beaten Archaeology conference, to be held at IT Sligo. Although the festivities did not kick off in earnest until 8pm on the Friday, I set off from Belfast quite early. My plan – and I did have one! – was to stop off along the way and see some archaeological sites that I’ve either never visited, or hadn’t been to see in far too long. As I’ve described in my series of posts on Glendalough (also visited in 2015), my modus operandi was to travel with my Nikon D3200, my Manfrotto tripod, and a curious bit of kit that allows me to slide the camera along the line of its focal plane. These items, when used together in the right way, allow me to take near identical photographs that I can then combine (with a cool little piece of software) to produce 3D anaglyph images. The purpose of this post is to act as a Table of Contents to the various posts. As each post is published, the corresponding links wil...

< 3D Images < Table of Contents Once we finished thanking the landowner at Ringhaddy it was time to be on our way again. This time we had set our sights on Sketrick Castle. I’ll be honest and admit that after nearly twenty years living in Belfast I should have managed to get to see this site before now. When standing at Nendrum monastic site, I’ve certainly wanted to – it’s barely over 1km away … as the crow flies … however, as the crow drives, it’s nearly a half-our over back roads. Inevitably, we put it off saying ‘Next time! … Definitely next time!’ Well … it took a while, but this is the time! Sketrick is today the shattered remnant of a large tower house and bawn wall. The earliest mention of the site is in the Annals of the Four Masters, who note that the castle of ‘Sgathdeirge’ was captured by Henry O’Neill in 1470. This has led to the reasonable assumption that the building dates to approximately the middle of the 15th century. However, more recent re...

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< Table of Contents Some time ago, I took my children, the Chapples Minor, out for a day of archaeology sightseeing. Admittedly, promises of significant amounts of both bacon and ice cream had to be made to ensure compliance with the plan. Once we had attained some degree of agreement, the next question was where exactly we should go. The parameters included: sites we’d not previously visited before and distances relatively close to home. At this point, I deftly reached for my copy of ‘ A Guide to the Historic Monuments of Northern Ireland in State Care ’ and began to leaf through. I quickly identified a cluster of sites along the western edge of Strangford Lough as worthy of further investigation. Places like Mahee Castle and Nendrum monastic site were fairly well known to us, but other dots on the map were less so. That is how I ended up, having followed my SatNav, on a narrow road with a number of ‘Private: Keep Out’ signs, looking and feeling lost. I spoke to a passi...