2017:399 - Vinegar Hill Battlefield Site, Templeshannon, Enniscorthy, Wexford

A licensed metal detection survey that formed part of the The Longest Day research project was carried out on behalf of Wexford County Council.  The aim of the project is to conduct research into the 1798 Battle of Vinegar Hill, and seek to identify archaeological landscape survival associated with it. The licensed survey took place in the townland of Templeshannon, Enniscorthy, Co. Wexford. The work was carried out under the direction of Damian Shiels of Rubicon Heritage Services Ltd., who managed the project in conjucntion with Dr. James Bonsall of Earthsound Archaeological Geophysics Ltd and Sligo Institute of Technology. The archaeological detection supervisor was Sam Wilson of Cotswold Archaeology Ltd. The survey was undertaken under Detection Device Consent Number 17R0079 and Excavation Licence Number 17E0206. The 6-person archaeological team was a multi-national one, including archaeologists from Rubicon, Earthsound, Sligo I.T. and Cotswold Archaeology.

The survey took place in two week-long phases, the first between the 8 and 12 May 2017 and the second between 21 and 25 August 2017. These phases were dictated by the availabilty of land due to the presence of crops. The survey produced extensive evidence for the surival of archaeological material relating to the 1798 battle, with the resultant assemblage now representing the most extensive from any such licensed battlefield archaeological survey in the Republic of Ireland. The work confirms the extremely-high artefact bearing potential of the topsoil levels across Irish battlefield sites. In addition, it also indicates that many of the current landscape features at Vinegar Hill, even those that appear subtle in nature, played an important role in the engagement. The survey provided insights into recent developmental damage to the battlefield area, while analysis of the licensed archaeological metal-detection survey itself demonstrates how such work can serve as a learning tool for Irish archaeologists engaged in such work in the future. Finally, it confirmed the need for the development of highly specific archaeological mitigation strategies on clonflict-related sites into the future.

The licnesed metal detection survey in the vicnity of Vinegar Hill recovered a total of 578 artefacts across an area of 14 ha, including more than 80 lead shot and numerous other archaeological objects that directly relate to the battle of 21 June 1798. Finds analysis and conservation will be undertaken on this material in advance of a detailed final report on the results of the survey.

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