Latest technology used to unearth ancient Newbuildings tunnelsPublished Date: 23 January 2009
By Staff reporter
Groundbreaking archaeological technology - never before used in the North - is being employed to help unearth a set of 1000 year-old tunnels on the outskirts of Derry.
The work, undertaken by the Newbuildings and District Archaeological and Historical Society (NDAHS), hopes to pinpoint the location of a souterrain - taken from the French word for underground - on land at Gortinure Road, just outside the Co Derry village..
Thought to date back to the early Christian period, the tunnel's exact location has become shrouded in mystery.
Richard Brennan, of NDAHS said Lottery funding had allowed the team to employ the latest technology in the current survey, which got underway yesterday and will finish on Monday.
"We applied for and were successful in getting funds from the Lottery and that has allowed us to employ Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR) survey.
"This radar technology has never been used in Northern Ireland before.
"There has always been anecdotal evidence and we have spoken to people who over the years who have worked in the field and felt the spade disappear into the land."
He said early indications from the survey were extremely positive.
"It seems we have discovered the lines of the tunnel are following that at the moment. If we can pinpoint the exact location, a full dig of the site will begin in July."
During a previous unsuccessful excavation in 2005, further evidence of Derry's past was uncovered with the discovery of a previously unknown rath - or ringfort.
Mr. Brennan said the latest work builds on the experiences of previous attempts to find the tunnels.
"Belfast Archaeologist Firm, Gahan and Long, who worked here in 2005 are scheduled to come back in July. At that time they only had a licence to work on finding the tunnels. Work had to be halted with he discovery of the rath. A full dig on the tunnels will give us a great insight into the past."
He said the tunnel could date to even earlier than 800AD, a time originally attributed to the souterrain. Mr. Brennan said it is possible they could have been built as a place of refuge in a time when Vikings would have sailed up the River Foyle and have carried out raids
The full article contains 379 words and appears in Journal Friday DER Edition newspaper.Page 1 of 1
Last Updated: 23 January 2009 10:15 AM
Source: Journal Friday DER Edition
Location: Derry
http://www.derryjournal.com/journal/Latest-technology-used-to-unearth.4905822.jp
