THE JOURNEY SO FAR…
The Islay Heritage School’s Project started in August 2016 with teachers and children from Bowmore, Port Charlotte, Keills and Port Ellen Primary Schools working in partnership with Islay Heritage and the archaeology team from the University of Reading. The aim of the project was to give the children first-hand experience of archaeological sites on their island, as well as fieldwork methods, and increase their understanding and enthusiasm for their local heritage.
PHASE ONE of the project was a visit to the excavation of the Neolithic chambered cairn Slochd Measach (Giant’s Grave) near Nerabus. The four schools took turns to visit and experience all aspects of archaeological fieldwork, which was good preparation for the second part of the project.
PHASE TWO took place in March 2017, when each of the schools (Keills were joined by Small Isles on Jura) adopted a nearby archaeological monument and worked with Islay Heritage archaeologists to undertake a topographic and geophysical survey. Back in the classroom the children got to see the images from the surveys and then had a chance to imagine what the sites would have looked like in the past, creating artwork, gaelic poetry and reports on their monuments.
Port Ellen primary school chose Kilbride Chapel while Port Charlotte School went to the prehistoric monument of Carnduncan Bronze Age Cairn. Keills School teamed up with the Small Isles School from Jura and surveyed the crannog at Loch nan Deala, while Bowmore School surveyed the probably chapel at Cill a’Bhulg. A well attended exhibition of all the children’s work was then held at the Gaelic College on Islay.
PHASE THREE of the project started in August 2018, with the return of the archaeologist to the island to carry out a dig at Dunyvaig castle near Lagavulin. This monument was once the naval fortress of the Lords of the Isles, and the remains are 16th Century, but could also go back far earlier to prehistoric times. This year Port Charlotte, Bowmore and Port Ellen primary schools, along with students from Islay High School, are taking part in the dig.
ISLAY HERITAGE SCHOOLS’ PROJECT
WALK TO THE DIG
Slochd Measach
ARCHAEOLOGICAL PHOTOGRAPHY
Slochd Measach
GEOPHYSICS
Slochd Measach
DIGGING THE TRENCH
Slochd Measach
LEARNING ARCHAEOLOGY-BOWMORE
Cill a’Bhuilg burial ground
LEARNING GEOPHYSICS
Cill a’Bhuilg burial ground
MEASURING THE SITE
Cill a’Bhuilg burial ground
IMAGINING THE CHAPEL
Cill a’Bhuilg burial ground
ADDING DETAIL
Cill a’Bhuilg burial ground
SCALE DRAWING AND MEASURING- PORT ELLEN
Kilbride Chapel
GEOPHYSICS- PORT ELLEN
Kilbride Chapel
AERIAL PHOTOGRAPHY- PORT ELLEN
Kilbride Chapel
SAY CHEESE-PORT ELLEN
Kilbride Chapel
SITTING IN THE CHAMBER- PORT CHARLOTTE
Carnduncan Cairn
SURVEYING THE SITE-PORT CHARLOTTE
Carnduncan Cairn
SURVEYING THE SITE- KEILLS AND SMALL ISLES
Loch nan Dealla crannog
ARCHAEOLOGY EXHIBITION
Gaelic College Summer 2017
ARCHAEOLOGY INSPIRED GAELIC ART
Gaelic College Summer 2017
MESOLITHIC POTS
Gaelic College Summer 2017
DIGGING TRENCH 2
Dunyvaig summer 2018
DARKO EXPLAINS THE ARCHAEOLOGY
Dunyvaig Summer 2018
DIGGING TRENCH 1 THE SEAGATE TRENCH
Dunyvaig summer 2018
A CANNONBALL
Dunyvaig summer 2018
2019 Dunyvaig Dig!
On Tuesday 27th of August the whole school went to Dunyvaig to contribute in a archaeology dig . A kind lady called Sophie was are tour guide showing us all the stations, for some stations examples there was a digging in the trench, photography and looking at findings and lots… Read more
Our Seals
We were really excited when we heard that the archaeologists had found the Seal of John Campbell of Cawdor. We decided to make our own seals. Our initial designs were quite detailed: We realised we would need to make them more simple for our seal models. We used clay to… Read more
Our Dunyvaig Stories
We wrote stories about the history of Dunyvaig. What would it have been like to be there at the time? Here is one for you to read… The siege of Dunyvaig by Matthew One day at Dunyvaig castle everything was very calm the villagers were doing their normal thing… Read more
Imagining Dunyvaig
We drew pictures of how Dunyvaig might have looked in the past. We used our imaginations to think about who might have lived here and what happened to them… pictures by Erin, Dhruv and Dolan. Read more
Our Trip To Dunyvaig
Dunyvaig Castle On the Tuesday the 21st of August the P5-7 went on a trip to Dunyvaig castle archaeology site. We all put on our wellies, waterproofs and got onto Mr Mackie’s bus and set off to the castle. I felt so excited when we finally arrived at Laphroaig distillery… Read more
More Gaelic Poetry
Here is another example of gaelic poetry from Mara: Is mise Dùn Naomhaig, I am called Dunyvaig, Tha mi mòr, I am big Tha mi casteal, I am a castle, Tha mi fuar, I am cold, Tha i dorcha, It is dark, Tha mi cunnartach, I am dangerous, Tha… Read more