Would You Like to Contribute to the Heritage Artefacts of County Cork Publication?

For many years Cork County Council’s Heritage Unit has each year been producing a new book on a topic of heritage within the county, from bridges to houses and churches to castles. In 2021, with the support of the Heritage Council, a publication on the Heritage Artefacts of County Cork is being undertaken.

Archaeology is the study of how people lived in the past by examining the physical things they have left behind. These physical remains can be divided into monuments, things that are attached to the landscape, and artefacts, those things which are portable and typically are kept in museum collections. Following the successful publication in 2020 of ‘The Archaeological Heritage of County Cork’, it is now proposed to follow this up with one on the county’s artefacts.  The study of artefacts can tell us much about how past societies, not only about their technological ability but also lifestyle, belief systems and how society was organised and functioned. Not every artefact will tell us all these things but it is surprising how much can be inferred from the study of objects long ago lost, discarded or carefully preserved over the generations.

Artefacts come in all shapes and sizes. Some are very valuable objects made of gold or silver and produced by masters of their craft. Others are very mundane objects commonly used in everyday life and easily discarded. Amongst the former are objects like the Cork Horns, the Garryduff Bird and St Lachtine’s Arm. Amongst the latter are broken shards of coarse hand-made pottery, simple flint tools and clay pipes. To archaeology all are equally valued as items that are part of our past and have their own story to tell, irrespective of their aesthetic or rarity value. Each one is part of the story of County Cork’s past and it will be the objective of this book to allow the selected items tell that story, to let “the mute stones speak.”

One of the key elements of each publication is the input from local groups and heritage enthusiasts. Past publications in the Heritage of County Cork Series have benefited hugely from a great number of public submissions including photos for use, stories, and indeed lists of recommended sites that should be featured in the book(s). With respect to the upcoming publication on the County’s Heritage Artefacts, the Heritage Unit of Cork County Council would be delighted to see high levels of engagement. To this effect local heritage societies, community groups and individuals are requested to get involved in the project by submitting any specific information/stories/photos of interest to Cork County Council by Friday 11^th June 2021. The publication will set out to include and reference as many submissions as possible and for further information email corkheritage@corkcoco.ie or phone 021 428 5905/5935.