Sir, - When attempting to determine the historical significance of an archaeological site or artefact it is necessary to avoid emphasising antiquity over other factors, lest only what is oldest is preserved at the expense of that which is relevant to more recent history.
In the ongoing controversy about the excavations at Carrickmines Castle, an admirable case for the preservation of the site has been made on the basis of what it can tell us about our medieval past. The site is equally important, however, for what it can reveal about Irish life (and death) in the 17th century, a time of widespread religious and colonial conflict that left a lasting imprint on the future development of the country.
In March 1642 a massacre of Catholics occurred at Carrickmines when forces led by the English Protestant commander Sir Simon Harcourt besieged the castle. Contemporary sources, written within days of the killings, agree that the victims were for the most part women and children, 240 according to an English account, 340 according to an Irish one. Among the most remarkable discoveries of the recent excavations was a crude burial pit containing the mangled remains of some of these victims, including that of a woman with an axe wound to the back of her head (The Irish Times, January 16th, 2002).
To the best of my knowledge this discovery is unique; for obvious reasons, little is known of the burial places of the victims of the various other massacres that occurred across the country in 1641-2, 1649-50, 1690-2, or even, for that matter, in 1798. Certainly, as testament to an age of violent change in Ireland the Carrickmines pit is unrivalled, and should be preserved in some form as a discovery of major cultural significance.
There are those, of course, who contend that it is best to keep the evidence of our sectarian past buried; I disagree most strongly. One only has to consider the recent upsurge of sectarian murders in Northern Ireland and the reports of attacks on Church of Ireland buildings by "vandals" in rural parts of the South to realise the pressing need for a better understanding of religious discord and violence on the island.
Provided it was accompanied by information about the Protestant experience of massacre in 17th-century Ireland, Carrickmines's pit of Catholic victims could be used for educational purposes, demonstrating to schoolchildren of all religious backgrounds the dangers of bigotry and dogma. Indeed, and by the same method, it is even possible that the remains at Carrickmines could contribute to the peace process and the establishment of better cross-border relations grounded on a more accurate, unsanitised appreciation of Irish history.
Now surely that is rather more important than a few yards of road! - Yours, etc.,
Dr DAVID EDWARDS,
Department of History,
University College,
Cork.