Teagasc celebrates National Heritage Week
National Heritage Week takes place from 14th - 22nd August. Teagasc is marking the week by dedicating 2 Signpost Series webinars to the topics: Archaeology & Farming and Traditional Farm Buildings. Read more here on how to access these webinars and to find out more about Teagasc Heritage resources
Traditional Farm Buildings
Traditional buildings enrich the Irish countryside. Old farm buildings provide a direct link to the farming methods of previous generations. The materials and craftsmanship displayed in the buildings, gates and walls are a testament to the ingenuity of our ancestors in making the most of the resources available to them. The traditions followed were founded on experience; of the climate; the locality and its resources. Thus these buildings appear very much in harmony with their local setting. Regional differences in walling or flooring materials used in buildings are echoed in features of the farmed landscape.
On The Signpost Series Webinar - Traditional Farm Buildings, Guest Speaker Anna Meenan, Project Manager, Traditional Farm Buildings Scheme at The Heritage Council will give a presentation on this topic. This webinar will take place (tomorrow) Friday 20th August at 9.30 am for one hour.
If the topic of Traditional Farm Buildings is of interest to you then you might like to read this series of articles:
Archaeology & Farming
The Irish countryside is rich in ancient archaeological settlements and ritual monuments. These are the result of generations of farming communities who have made their living from the land. Most townlands contain at least one ancient monument, many contain several. Some are constructed of earth or stone and may appear as banks of earth or humps and hollows on the ground surface, others are buried and have to be reveals by aerial photography or by excavation. A series of maps called the Record of Monuments and Places has been produced for each county in Ireland. All archaeological monuments are protected under the National Monuments Acts 1930 to 1994.
This Signpost Series Webinar - Archaeology & Farming - was held on Friday 13th August last. In this webinar Hugh Carey, Archaeologist with The National Monuments Service, Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage gave a very interesting presentation on the topic, followed by a Q & A session. This webinar will shortly be available to watch back here on Teagasc Daily or you can look out for it at Sustainable Agriculture Webinars
Find out more about the series here: Sustainable Agriculture Webinars
Teagasc Heritage Resources
Built Heritage & Landscape
The landscape of Ireland is predominantly an agricultural one, and farmers have been its guardians. The most visible signs of ancient farming on the landscape, dating from the Early Christian Period (500-1200 AD), are the many thousand ringforts whose circular enclosures were essentially protected farmyards. Most of the lowland landscape was laid out in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries when landlords forced tenants to enclose common land by establishing earth banks, stone walls and hedgerows. Enclosure of millions of hectares of land created the ‘patchwork-quilt’ appearance of the present rural landscape. Agriculture always has and will continue to mould the landscape. The landscape as we know it needs farming activity.
Ireland's Trees: our heritage 10,000 years in the making
Teagasc's virtual forestry adviser, Ciara, tells the story of forests in Ireland – from the last Ice Age to the present day. A heritage, 10,000 years in the making…She describes the climate effect of forestry development, the decline in forestry as agriculture developed and population grew.
Watch Ciara in action below as she takes us from the last Ice Age to the present day
The Teagasc Forestry Department issues an article on a Forestry topic every Friday here on Teagasc Daily Keep up-to-date with the Teagasc Forestry Department here More on Teagasc Forestry Social Media here
National Heritage Week finishes on Sunday 22nd August with Water Heritage Day.
Enjoy the weekend and Stay safe around water!
National Heritage Week is enouraging everyone to get outdoors and enjoy the natural environment. Find out more here https://www.heritageweek.ie/
Teagasc Daily supporting National Heritage Week
