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Michéal on the hunt for the real Vikings
For local artist Michéal McKeown, the Viking heritage of Annagassan had long been a tantalising mystery.
"It has always been known that the Vikings settled in Annagassan before Dublin but nobody knew exactly where or how big the colony was".
History tells us that in the 9th Century, Annagassan was the site of a Viking Longphort, or a ship port that was fortified to protect a fleet of ships and with a deep interest in local archaeology, Michal had developed his own theories on Viking Annagassan.
"I had written an article on the subject giving my own suggestions of where the settlement might have been but my claims were completely refuted."
Not willing to overlook his burning suspicions, Michal teamed up with two of his closest friends, archaeologist, Eamonn (Ned) Kelly, who is also the Keeper of Irish Antiquities in the National Museum and Dr. Mark Clinton, a renowned independent archaeologist and for Michal the rest is history.
"Myself, Ned and Mark had many a late night discussion on the subject. We got the maps out and asked ourselves several questions, 'If we were Vikings where would we put our settlement? If we came in with 200 ships where would we hide them and build a stronghold that we could control?"
It was after much debate that one particular site was pinpointed and the trio decided that the time had come to take their research to the next stage, "We approached the County Museum with our theories about the site and they gave us a budget and told us to go and find it".
For Michal what happened next was unprecedented, "We hired a team of geophysicists and told them where we thought the site might be and we couldn't believe it when they actually found the site on the very first day and it was exactly where we said it would be!"
According to Michal, they are excited by the find, but understandably cautious about making assumptions. "We don't fully understand what the findings represent yet but we have found plenty of evidence to prove that this is the original Viking site."
Though some details have long been documented about Viking Annagassan, through further investigations the team hopes to uncover the true scale, importance and layout of this ancient settlement and according to archaeologist, Eamonn Kelly, who was responsible for predicting the famous Viking site at Woodstown, the dig is already producing exciting results.
However, despite the indisputable archaeological evidence and the academic credentials and experience of the people involved, the team has failed to attract the financial resources they so desperately require, an outcome that has shocked and dismayed Mr. Kelly.
"We have the support of the local community, the academics, the local historical society, the local third level college (DkIT), and the County Museum and yet most incredibly we cannot get the funding from the powers that be".
The team are deeply disappointed by the failure of the Heritage Council to get involved. Now fearing the threat of future development in the area Mr. Kelly believes that the responsibility for protecting a site of such historical importance should not fall on the local community but should be viewed as a national responsibility.
"This site is of international importance that should be protected on a national level but in order to do that we need it to be properly identified, protected, defined and researched on a long-term basis in a planned and co-ordinated manner".
In fact so well is this site known internationally that at the recent annual Viking Festival in Annagassan earlier this month the streets and fields were awash with foreign visitors from as far as Denmark, Spain, Northern Ireland and the Isle of Mann. Indeed, many of the Danish visitors came dressed as Vikings and with authentic Viking huts, clothing, tools, boats and games so for a moment it was almost as if Annagassan was transported back in time to when their ancestors lived amongst the Vikings. The whole community got involved in this event which is supported by local councilors Thomas Clare and Pierce McGeough.
Ruth Cassidy of Ember Films, who are in the process of making a documentary on the find, foresees even greater international interest, "If it is properly managed, this site will bring visitors from all around the world not only to Annagassan but also to the whole of County Louth and that is why we cannot understand the reluctance of the Heritage Council to come and see for themselves what has been found".
However, with a find of such National importance waiting to be unearthed, Michal and his colleagues hope that it will not be long before the project attracts the funding it requires. With some of Irelands top experts already on board and with interest expressed from the BBC, Canada and the USA for the documentary rights, the team are now seeking to attract private funding and would be happy to hear from private individuals or business interests. For further information please contact Ruth Cassidy of Ember Films, Annagassan on (042) 9382512.
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Thursday 17 May 2012
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