School of Natural and Built Environment

This article explores how the spatial qualities and diversity of one of Belfast’s main arteries, North
Street/Peter’s Hill, was transformed by urban planning decisions throughout the twentieth century. It looks specifically at
how a car-dominated planning system contributed to the deterioration of the street fabric. Predicated on ideas of plot-
based urbanism, the analysis of historic maps and plans points to the ways in which the function and dimensions of the
buildings have contributed to the vibrancy of North Street/Peter’s Hill and how the more recent transformation of those
functions and dimensions damaged these streets. The article acknowledges that streets are made of the social and
cultural context in which they exist, while their form and function is instrumental to their embedded public life.

This article explores how the spatial qualities and diversity of one of Belfast's main arteries, North Street/Peter's Hill, was transformed by urban planning decisions throughout the twentieth century. It looks specifically at how a car-dominated planning system contributed to the deterioration of the street fabric. Predicated on ideas of plotbased urbanism, the analysis of historic maps and plans points to the ways in which the function and dimensions of the buildings have contributed to the vibrancy of North Street/Peter's Hill and how the more recent transformation of those functions and dimensions damaged these streets. The article acknowledges that streets are made of the social and cultural context in which they exist, while their form and function is instrumental to their embedded public life.

Buenos Aires has a river. Although it has been repeated for decades that the city gave it back, the recent interventions in the urban areas of the edge they confirm that the river is there. But this is not the only demonstration. On one side the river has been present in the imagination of the city skyline from the edge and its foundation. And secondly, the use of the shoreline as a public space, especially as leisure predates the beginnings of urbanism as a discipline. The coast of Buenos Aires, as the fronts of many other coastal cities in the world has been invaded by urban interventions in recent decades. Spaces of real estate development, residential, commercial, corporate and public spaces, have changed the facade of the city from the river and the use of this particular area of the edge. This phenomenon is worldwide, and has been awarded to the growth and transfer of the ports by the obsolete condition of the old port. Much of the proposed re-functionalization of the coastline was carried out during the eighties, producing a number of marinas, theme parks and reconstruction of historical sites, which tend more to the standardization that the diversification of spaces for use of citizens. But this phenomenon does not belong exclusively to the last decades of the last century. Early interventions in the urban coastal fronts began with the discovery of the coast and leisure in the mid-nineteenth century. The discovery of the coast and leisure had been born since the late eighteenth century with the loss of fear of water, the new value given to science and currents of thought of the Enlightenment and the Romanticism of the time, which would Grand Tour of Europe. This assessment of costs is not reached the industrial cities until the last decades of the 1800s. Several European cities had previously coastal walks, but these were not from a planned urban spaces shared with the port and its aim was solely that of a contemplative walk. In Buenos Aires, as in other American cases, the start of the use of the coast and leisure was very early, compared with its parallel in Europe. While in New York and Chicago Fredrick Law Olmsted and Calvert Vaux were imposing a new use of public space and urban nature in contrast to the growth of cities, Domingo Faustino Sarmiento raised the first projects for the Tres de Febrero Park, the first coastal park the city of Buenos Aires. The authorities, architects and engineers who worked on the draft coastal parks saw these spaces as places of opportunity, as horizons for action, being edges of the city provided a special place for the development of public space. From an aesthetic professionals in charge saw the horizon as a scenic attraction, while from the practical side, the waterfront was the edge, so the city and an area of conflict between national and municipal authorities. In this article we will look at one of the most significant projects for the coast of Buenos Aires at the beginning of the consolidation of the use of the waterfront as public space for leisure. We will concentrate on the case of the South Coast as an area of leisure activities integrated by Benito Carrasco in 1918.

Buenos Aires has a river. Although it has been repeated for decades that the city gave it back, the recent interventions in the urban areas of the edge they confirm that the river is there. But this is not the only demonstration. On one side the river has been present in the imagination of the city skyline from the edge and its foundation. And secondly, the use of the shoreline as apublic space, especially as leisure predates the beginnings of urbanism as a discipline. The coast of Buenos Aires, as the fronts of many other coastal cities in the world has been invaded by urban interventions in recent decades. Spaces of real estate development, residential, commercial, corporate and public spaces, have changed the facade of the city from the river and the use of this particular area of the edge. This phenomenon is worldwide, and has been awarded to the growth and transfer of the ports by the obsolete condition of the old port. Much of the proposed re-functionalization of the coastline...

Geophysical investigation of a former convent graveyard for conversion to a community centre identified an unrecorded, unmarked burial below a later burial. Archaeological excavation confirmed the presence of skeletonized human remains, considered by police as a possible clandestine burial. Mortuary examination indicated the remains belonged to a mature adult female. To determine whether the deceased could be a recorded missing person, radiocarbon dating was undertaken on a femur and a rib bone. This is not always straightforward, and results showed two possible ages due to intercepts on either side of the nuclear weapons testing spike in atmospheric 14 C; however, the later dated burial allowed us to constrain the date of a rib to CE 1959. This study demonstrates that dating a second tissue with a longer turnaround time, such as a femur, can help to constrain which side of the bomb spike is most probable. This paper documents in one work the search, scene and sample and then advances this to resolution by anthropological analysis and radiocarbon dating of human remains.

Twenty aggregated muscle scores from the upper limbs of sixty-four individuals were assessed from two Medieval skeletal collections, housed at Bournemouth University. This was done in order to determine if musculoskeletal stress markers patterns of handedness and labour division could be identified and used to reconstruct repetitive movements associated with strenuous activity. The muscle sites were analysed using Hawkey and Merbs (1995) methods for identifying and scoring muscle marker type and severity. The age and sex of individuals were controlled for and calculated using nonparametric statistical tests. The aim of this study was to test the reliability of MSM and to help promote their use and the need for standardisation when constructing a biological profile, specifically with regards to the forensic context in the identification of a missing individual.

Evidence from antiquaries, folklore and a few archaeological texts reveal that a variety of charms were once widely used throughout Ireland to safeguard against supernatural beings and misfortune up until the early 20th century (O’Reilly 2010). This presentation discusses evidence of Irish folk magic practices concerning how charms such as witch (hag) stones, concealed horse skulls, Saint Brigid crosses, pre Christian stone and metal weaponry, were used as counter measures against bewitchment.

The analysis of activity from archaeological derived skeletal samples has become increasingly popular in recent years and various types of osseous changes have been used to identify patterns of mechanical stress or ‘markers of activity’ (MOA). These include entheseal sites, joint disease, cross-sectional bone geometry, dental wear, spondylolysis, ear exostoses, stress fractures, squatting facets and metric analysis of long bones (Jurmain et al. 2012). This research examines the prevalence of entheseal changes, osteoarthritis, os acromiale on the upper limbs and Schmorl's nodes on the vertebrae The main question posed is; are these skeletal conditions useful indicators of activity among different socio-political communities and, if so, what implications might this suggest? The specific objectives of the research are to draw inter-populations comparisons between the statistically significant patterns of these conditions according to laterality, sex and adult age at death categories among three medieval Irish agricultural populations, which are considered to have practised different subsistence economies (including hay-making and transhumance)

A presentation of various forensic anthropology and historic osteological cases from 2016-present in Northern Ireland. Including a multiple disciplinary approach, site visits, the search for human remains and trial and error from cases - ‘Viking’ Burial, Operation Skipper, The Forgotten Nun, Washed Up, Forgotten Discoveries, Middletown Confession and Missing Person Analysis .

The subject of magic and witchcraft has aroused much interest over the years and with approximately 40,000 individuals executed during the 'witch craze' or 'burning time' in Europe between the 14th to the 18th century this is hardly surprising (Levack 2002). Scholars who have investigated elements of witchcraft around the globe tend to focus on the historical aspects such as accusations, trials, convictions and executions. However, the material evidence directly associated with witchcraft and other supernatural beliefs among folk populations is, by comparison, a rather neglected area of research. The few systematically studies published on this subject include Merrifield (1999), Manning (2014) and Hoggard (2019) however, there is a limited discussion of Irish material. Evidence from antiquaries, folklore, historical and a few archaeological journals do reveal that it was once common to use a variety of other charms in Ireland from the 18th to the early 20th century and is detailed in O’Reilly (2010). This includes prehistoric axe heads, arrow heads, perforated flint witch (hang) stones, horse and cow skulls and Saint Bridget’s crosses for their healing properties and to safeguard against supernatural beings and misfortune. In particular, there appears to have been a focus on the physical welfare of cattle which was largely due to the importance of the process of churning milk into butter in the domestic economy. It was believed that the ‘goodness of milk’ or ‘butter profit’ could be stolen by a witch, a wicked neighbour or that cows could became ill due to elf-shot (Bonser 1926, O’Suilleabhain 1967). This belief is not specific to Ireland and folk populations from different parts of Europe sought an array of charms for their magical properties including healing and protection attributes. One such charm is that of a ‘witch stone’ which was used to counter act witchcraft and evidence of its use in Northern Ireland is discussed in this article.

As discussed in O’Reilly (2022) Pagan Ireland winter edition, witchcraft, magic and superstition has aroused much interest over the centuries due to the number of individuals (approx. 40,000) executed during the European ‘witch craze’ or ‘burning time’ between the 14-18th century (Levack 2002). However, researchers investigating witchcraft and folk magic often focus on the historical information involving accusations, trials and executions whilst the material evidence associated with supernatural beliefs among folk populations is often neglected, with the exception of a few systematic studies such as Merrifield (1999), Manning (2014) and Hoggard (2019). These authors discuss the ritual use of concealed objects in Europe including dried cats, chickens, shoes, horse skulls and witch bottles, which were used to ward off witchcraft and evil spirits. Evidence from antiquaries, folklore and a few archaeological journals reveal that concealed animal remains, along with a variety of other charms detailed in O’Reilly (2010), were once widely used throughout the island of Ireland to safeguard against supernatural beings and misfortune up until the early 20th century. In this article the writer discusses evidence of how concealed horse skulls (Fig.1), and to a lesser extent cattle skulls, were used among Irish folk populations for ritual and acoustic purposes.

Evidence from antiquaries, folklore and a few archaeological texts reveal that a variety of charms were once widely used throughout Ireland to safeguard against supernatural beings and misfortune up until the early 20th century (O'Reilly 2010). This author has previously discussed evidence of Irish folk magic practices concerning the use of witch (hag) stones and concealed horse skulls. In this article the writer outlines evidence of Saint Brigid crosses, also referred to as Candlemas crosses, which functioned not only as a religious symbol but also as a talisman to protection against misfortune (Andrews 1913). However, it is first necessary to outline a brief background regarding the popularity of this saint along with the custom of making such crosses, which likely dates to pre-Christian practices, before we consider what impact they had among the Irish folk population.

EXPLORING HOW PLACE was implicated in discourses of power and kingship, this paper investigates the ways in which ideologies and cosmologies informed the production of sacred authority and the iconographies of royal sites in the period c AD 400‐800. This paper pertains to the evolution of early medieval kingship but also that institution’s relationship with prehistoric antecedents. It is suggested that the construction of localised small-scale kingships was as meaningful as those of the more prominent institutions such as Tara and Cashel. Through highlighting a NE‐SW axis redolent in royal landscapes, it is argued that kingship’s relationship with place was central to discourses over power, ideology and the ‘holy man’. This saw the early Irish church appropriate aspects of a cosmological scheme linked to the creation and (re)-imagining of royal sites.

This paper represents a detailed reinterpretation of the stratigraphy and development of the famous early medieval royal site of Lagore crannog, located just south of the Hill of Tara in Co. Meath (Ireland). In particular, this paper presents an osteological analysis of the human remains uncovered from the early phases of the sites, and brooches the possibility that the early medieval remains might suggest the site was a place associated with violent ritual, and possibly judicial execution between AD 400-800. It argues that the distinctive development of Lagore's archaeology and royal purpose, can only be fully understood by placing the site within its landscape, historical and geo-political contexts.

This paper presents an analysis of the development of the Rock of Cashel (Co. Tipperary, Ireland) in the 11th and 12th century. This spans the period when the Rock was transformed from the pre-eminent seat of kingship in the southern half of Ireland, into the seat of an archbishopric following the unprecedented events of 1101 when the king of Munster, Muircheartach Ua Briain, granted the Rock to the church and craibdíg ('devout'). This paper suggests that the archaeology of the Rock's development in this period can provide important new insights into the symbolism and practice of kingship, and indeed, the realpolitik associated with the struggle for control of Munster between the Meic Carthaig and Uí Briain kings of Thomond and Desmond.

This paper presents a preliminary assessment of the archaeological and landscape context of the Balline hoard and related items 9of Iron Age and earlier early medieval date) from the wider east Limerick area. In particular, it examines the nearby assembly landscape of Óenach Clochair, the pre-eminent assembly in early medieval Munster, and suggests that from an analysis of LiDAR data, this landscape is likely to have been a significant locus of royal ceremonial, assembly and authority during the late Antique period.