Archaeol Ir 21 (4)

Notes on various Internet news items, discussions and web sites of archaeological interest.

The article describes a series of well-preserved conical wooden fish baskets discovered at Clowanstown, County Meath, during archaeological investigations in advance of the M3 Clonee to North of Kells motorway scheme. Structures at the site were interpreted as the remains of a Late Mesolithic mooring/fishing platform; other finds from included stone implements characteristic of the period. The site would have been on the edge of a small lake at that time. As well as describing the baskets and the basketry technique used to make them, the author discusses them in the context of other prehistoric basket remains from Ireland, and describes the process of recording and conserving the baskets.

The author describes the use of satellite images from Google EarthTM to help locate areas to investigate for previously unrecorded field monuments. Examples are given of the use of this process to locate and identify archaeological remains in two areas of west Wicklow -- Ballinascollogue, Sorrel Hill; and Ballinabrocky, near Sally Gap.

The author reflects on the process of compiling a detailed survey of the archaeological and architectural remains of Clare Island, off the coast of County Mayo, and on the contributions made by some of the islanders.

As part of the `Know your monuments' series, the authors examine how Anglo-Norman field layouts and agricultural practices can be traced in the modern rural landscape..