2006:451 - Glenveagh Cottage, Glenveagh National Park, Donegal

In June and July 2006, archaeological fieldwork conducted at the Glenveagh Cottage site in Co. Donegal represented the thirteenth year of research into the material conditions of daily life in rural Ireland during the 18th and 19th centuries. The project, sponsored by the Centre for the Study of Rural Ireland, was co-directed by Charles E. Orser Jr., Distinguished Professor of Anthropology, Illinois State University, and Stephen A. Brighton, Assistant Professor, University of Maryland, assisted by Julie Richko, doctoral student at UCD. The summer’s project was a six-week field school administered by Illinois State University. The Donegal County Museum in Letterkenny supported the project by providing lecture, laboratory, and storage facilities. The site is located within the Glenveagh National Park, and this project constitutes part of a long-term examination of the modern habitation of the park. Two smaller projects, funded by the Heritage Council, have focused on geophysical testing in the area around the cottage site.
Glenveagh Cottage constitutes an important focal point for the history of the area. It is reputed to have been the principal habitation of the MacSweeneys after their dispossession from the region of Doe Castle. After their eviction, sometime during the 1830–50 period, the site was probably inhabited by John George Adair until the construction of Glenveagh Castle was completed in 1870–3. From 1873 to 1966, the cottage was the home of several land stewards. Its remains were demolished in the 1980s after the estate was donated to the State. Glenveagh Cottage thus may have been occupied for hundreds of years. Prior to excavation, the site area appeared as a series of ruined stone walls, and remnants of old roads.
Excavations were conducted in 1m by 1m squares in front of and inside the remains of two of the buildings. The remains designated House 1 ran east–west, while House 2 ran north–south. Each house measured about 27m in total length. The exterior excavations were designed to locate evidence of sheet middens in the yard areas (as indicated by the geophysics), but the results were inconclusive. Artefacts found during excavation were temporally mixed, including creamware sherds from the late 18th century and Club Orange bottle caps from the recent past. Excavators discovered a concrete floor in House 1 and a neatly laid cobblestone floor in House 2. The removal of a small section of the concrete revealed no obvious earlier habitation in the excavated area. The cobblestones were not removed, because the building will constitute part of a new interpretative effort by the park.
Excavators recovered roughly 3,000 artefacts, all of which were processed at the County Museum in Letterkenny. The vast majority of the artefacts were nails from the roof beams of House 2. The remainder of the artefacts – mostly ceramic and glass – were domestic in nature. Further analysis of this material will provide additional information about the use of each building, but at present it appears that House 1 was the principal residence of the land stewards, while House 2 was a multi-use outbuilding. Another habitation, directly behind House 1, may be the original habitation at the site, and this building will hopefully be the focus of further archaeological research.