Archaeol Ir 8 (3)

Includes news of the Heritage Council Bill 1994 and various legal judgements -- including the Admiralty Court ruling on the Streedagh (Co Sligo) Armada wrecks. Richard Warner (5) reports on a `New Neolithic site on Rathlin' (Co Antrim), while two Dublin conferences are summarised in `Economy and Environment in Medieval Dublin, 28 May' by Claire Walsh (6) and `Medieval Dublin: Current Research and Future Strategies, 11 June' by John Bradley (7).

A concise history of the sort of archaeology made possible by Jacques Cousteau's invention of the `self contained underwater breathing apparatus' (SCUBA). The establishment, in 1989, of the Irish Underwater Archaeological Research Team (IUART) is seen as an important initiative. The need for a survey of maritime sites is highlighted by the case of the Spanish Armada wrecks at Streedagh Strand, Co Sligo.

Discusses the organisation of the craft and the techniques used by Celtic and Early Christian metalworkers.

An inscription above a fireplace in the tower house at Coole, Co Offaly, reveals interesting insights into sixteenth-century society and the family of John Mac Coghlan.

Shows how to set up an archaeological study project for students, using the survey of a deserted village on Achill Island as an example.

Reports on the excavation of burials associated with a standing stone and ring barrow at Kiltullagh Hill. A combination of pagan cremation and ?Christian inhumation rituals may be representative of the LIA/Early Christian transition. Uniquely, the standing stone has three small holes cut into one edge, and excavation uncovered a fourth beneath the ground -- thus disproving a local tradition that the holes were bored in an attempt to destroy the monument during the War of Independence.

Outlines the type of information available from the National Archive in Bishop Street, Dublin.

Identifies the medieval church and Protestant chapel at Drumcannon (Co Waterford) as subject of a previously published photograph.