Michael O'Connell | University of Galway (original) (raw)

Papers by Michael O'Connell

Vegetation History and Archaeobotany, 2024

Sediments from a small lake, Loch Beag, in Barrees, Beara peninsula, south-western Ireland, provi... more Sediments from a small lake, Loch Beag, in Barrees, Beara peninsula, south-western Ireland, provide a record of vegetation history that spans most of the Lateglacial and Holocene (14–0.43 ka). The detailed part of the record relates to the Holocene which is the focus of this paper. The investigations carried out include pollen and macrofossil analyses, loss-on-ignition measurements and 14C dating. As well as providing records for tree and shrub taxa, and especially Pinus, Quercus, Ulmus, Fraxinus and Taxus, other taxa mainly with Atlantic and/or Lusitanian distributions are also considered. These include Arbutus unedo (strawberry tree) and fern species such as Osmunda regalis, and the filmy ferns Hymenophyllum tunbrigense, H. wilsonii and Trichomanes speciosum (Killarney fern). Detailed records for a suite of bog/heath taxa, including ericoid species (Erica tetralix and E. cinerea), Narthecium ossifragum, Hypericum elodes and Myrica gale, are presented. The results of 14C dating of bog-pines from western Ireland are summarised. Results of other investigations, including key Holocene pollen diagrams, and charcoal and fossil-wood records from archaeological excavations that relate mainly to the Bronze Age in the wider west Cork/Kerry region, are reviewed. Vegetation dynamics, human impact and plant biogeography are discussed in the light of the considerable data now available for the region.

The Cultural Landscape and Heritage Paradox

ABSTRACT This paper considers the challenges for archaeologists and environmentalists in elucidat... more ABSTRACT This paper considers the challenges for archaeologists and environmentalists in elucidating past landscapes and presenting them effectively and in an attractive manner to the public within an Irish context. Ireland is rather exceptional in western Europe in that it was only in the last decade that it experienced strong economic development that involved large-scale infrastructural works. While such works inevitably result in destruction of parts of the natural and built heritage, they have also led to many new findings regarding Irish ...

A small corrie lake, at Mám Éan, i.e. Maumeen (anglicised version of name; at 245 m asl), in the ... more A small corrie lake, at Mám Éan, i.e. Maumeen (anglicised version of name; at 245 m asl), in the Maumturk Mountains, Connemara, provides a record of woodland dynamics and human impact that spans the Holocene. The record includes pollen, macrofossil and charcoal data, results of whole core and single-sample magnetic measurements, and loss-on-ignition data. The chronology relies mainly of 14C dates (conventional and AMS) for the 4.3 m long lake core. Two conventional 14C dates for bog-pine timbers collected near the lake are also provided.Main findingsThe course of vegetation development at Mám Éan follows the broad outline of that recorded from lowland Connemara and other sites in western Ireland.The importance of pine (Pinus sylvestris) during the early and mid-Holocene (ca. 10.2-4.8 ka) is demonstrated. The first substantial opening-up of the landscape occurred as a result of human activity in the early Neolithic (ca. 5.6 ka). This is envisaged as occurring mainly in the lowlands. ...

The sampling site was in a small basin-bog (ca. 300 x 100 m). The basin is surrounded by blanket ... more The sampling site was in a small basin-bog (ca. 300 x 100 m). The basin is surrounded by blanket bog that has preserved a pre-peat, extensive stone-wall, regular field system, referred to as Céide Fields. The research project, part-funded by The Heritage Council (of Ireland), commenced in 1992. The aim was to provide an environmental context for the establishment and use of the prehistoric stone wall field system and also to provide an overall chronological and palaeo-environmental framework. After establishing the basin contours and the general stratigraphy of the basin using a gouge corer and also taking trial cores for preliminary pollen analysis, the peat core GLU IV (∼5.8 m long; 10 cm diameter) was taken using a Wavin plastic pipe. The pollen and macrofossil investigations were carried out by Karen Molloy. In all, 77 samples were analysed from 150–574 cm (depths with respect to the bog surface). The pollen profile spans >6800 BC–AD 700, i.e. Boreal to early Medieval period....

The sampling site lies 425 m north-west of Behy court tomb where there were peat faces available ... more The sampling site lies 425 m north-west of Behy court tomb where there were peat faces available that were suitable for sampling.A relatively long monolith (BHY VI; 54 cm peat and 5 cm of underlying mineral soil) was taken from an isolated ca. 3 m wide turf bank. A scatter of small timbers (pine and also oak) were present in the general vicinity but timbers were note noted in the immediate vicinity of the sampling site. Total depth of peat at sampling point (TDP; adjust for shrinkage): 120 cm.The pollen spectra (21 in all) start at 4 cm (i.e. 4–5 cm: mineral soil immediately beneath the peat) to -51 cm, 51 to 50 cm ABOVE the peat/mineral soil interface. Charcoal-rich peat at the base.The age/depth model gives the following chronology: BHY VI: [>2600, pre-bog record]; peat: 2600 BC–AD 120, i.e. late Neolithic to late Iron Age. There is a modest 'pine flush' in the basal peat spectra so the age estimate above almost certainly under-estimates (by two centuries) the true age....

The sampling site was in an extensive blanket bog, 16 km south of Céide Fields Visitor Centre, wh... more The sampling site was in an extensive blanket bog, 16 km south of Céide Fields Visitor Centre, where peat cutting had revealed many pine timbers and also oak timbers. This provided the opportunity to carry out a palaeoecological study that included pollen analysis and dendrochronological investigations. In the study area, the bedrock is Carboniferous sandstone which, to the east of the sampling area, gives way to Carboniferous limestone of the Moy valley. Here there are thick glacial deposits including well-developed drumlin fields, and the land is fertile and bogs are few.Core GRN I was taken where what appeared to be an isolated small pine stump (P2/W1) was present at ca. 58 cm in a turf bank (depth from the cutover surface; the uppermost peat (≥1 m) had been removed by peat cutters). At a lower level and in a drainage channel below the peat face, there were several pine timbers. A pine stump P1/W2) at this level from beside the core was 14C dated; pine stump P2 was also 14C dated...

The sampling site lies 25 m east of chamber of Behy court tomb where a small patch of intact uncu... more The sampling site lies 25 m east of chamber of Behy court tomb where a small patch of intact uncut peat remained.A monolith 44 cm long was removed. Total depth of peat at sampling point (TDP; adjust for shrinkage) 180 cm.The pollen spectra (16 in all) start at 3 cm (i.e. 3–4 cm: mineral soil immediately beneath the peat) to -30 cm, i.e. 30 to 29 cm ABOVE the peat/mineral soil interface. Peat near the base (-7 to -19 cm) was charcoal-rich. The age/depth model gives the following chronology:[≥2600, pre-bog development]; pollen profile: 2520-210 BC, i.e. late Neolithic/Chalcolithic to mid-Iron Age. LOI and tephra investigations were also carried out. A distinct tephra layer at -28 cm (ca. 280 BC according to age/depth model). Tephra geochemically characterised. The results of the tephra investigations have yet to be published.The age/depth curve for BHY V is a smooth spline curve (smooth factor = 0.2) that is based on the five available 14C dates and a surface age estimate (peat thickn...

The sampling site lies ca. 20 m N of Behy court tomb where an intact area of uncut peat remains.A... more The sampling site lies ca. 20 m N of Behy court tomb where an intact area of uncut peat remains.A monolith 39 cm long was removed. Total depth of peat (adjusted for shrinkage) at sampling point (TDP) 120 cm.The pollen spectra (15 in all) start at 0 cm (i.e. 0–1 cm: mineral soil immediately beneath the peat) to -39 cm. Peat near the base (-3.5 to -9 cm) was charcoal-rich. The age/depth model gives the following chronology: [≥2400, pre-bog development]; pollen profile: 2400 BC–AD 20, i.e. early Bronze Age to mid/late Iron Age.LOI and tephra investigations were also carried out. A distinct tephra layer at -24 cm (ca. 360 BC). The results of the tephra investigations have yet to be published.There are three 14C dates, two of which are from near the base and so the lower part is chronologically is well constrained.The age/depth curve is a smooth spline curve (smooth factor = 0.1) that is based on the three available 14C dates. This is the age/depth model used in the EGQSJ publication (in...

The short monolith (19 cm of peat and 10 cm of the mineral soil beneath), CF Ib, was taken at 40 ... more The short monolith (19 cm of peat and 10 cm of the mineral soil beneath), CF Ib, was taken at 40 m NW of the Visitor Centre (VC), immediately to the north of a transverse stone-wall. Mineral soil from nearby that was sealed by the stone wall also sampled (CF III: 10 cm long monolith).Pollen profile CF I (this has elsewhere been referred to as CF Ib) includes six spectra from the mineral soil and twelve spectra from the overlying peat. Profile CF III consists of six spectra. Four samples from the soil within a plough mark and two samples from the containing soil were pollen analytically investigated. The age/depth model for profile CF I consists of a linear regression line fitted to the three available 14C dates. As regards, profile CF III it is older than the basal peat in CF Ib, i.e. ca. 1000 BC. The pollen data support ascribing it to the Bronze Age. A bulk sample from the plough mark returned the 14C date 2390±40 BP. This suggests a fifth century BC date, i.e. early/mid Iron Age....

The sampling sites BHY III–VI are from within the stone wall field system that is covered by blan... more The sampling sites BHY III–VI are from within the stone wall field system that is covered by blanket bog. BHY III is from ca. 65 m west of Behy Court Tomb. There was fairly active peat cutting locally, but on a rather small scale prior to time of sampling (1992). There has been turf cutting since, especially immediately to the west of this site.A monolith was removed as follows: 71 cm long (11 cm of mineral soil; 61 cm of overlying peat; total depth of peat, adjusted for shrinkage, at sampling point (TDP): 130 cm].This was taken from long turf bank where there was a wide cutting (ca. 30 m to next bank of turf to the east). At 30 cm from the sampling point, a flat pine timber (1x6 cm; probably a root) partly projected from the base of the turf bank. The wood rested on 10-15 cm of peat and its outer surface was burned. No other pine stumps were noted in the long bank of turf but there are pine stumps in the general area. A few metres to south of sampling location, there is a substanti...

Vegetation History and Archaeobotany, 2024

The Cultural Landscape and Heritage Paradox

Cattle have been the mainstay of Irish farming since the Neolithic began in Ireland almost 6000 y... more Cattle have been the mainstay of Irish farming since the Neolithic began in Ireland almost 6000 years ago. Cattle, and especially cows, have been important in the life experiences of most Irish people, directly and/or through legends such as the Táin Bó Cuailnge (The Cattle-raid of Cooley). In this book, diverse aspects of cattle in Ireland, from the circumstances of their first introduction to recent and ongoing developments in the management of grasslands—still the main food-source for cattle in Ireland—are explored in thirteen essays written by experts. New information is presented, and several aspects relating to cattle husbandry and the interactions of cattle and people that have hitherto received little or no attention are discussed.