Walking back to our roots: Trip to the Dublin Mountains !

Social life during wartime for UCD students in the 1940’s was limited. Kevin Nowlan, the Society’s first auditor, and a few select others occupied their free time by exploring Ireland’s prehistoric and medieval past in the Dublin mountains. Their interest in archaeology was grown during these walks and they wanted to bring that interest and passion back to their college life and share it with their fellow students. So it was during these long hikes through history high up in the Dublin Mountains that the society was founded. To mark the 72^nd anniversary of the founding of the UCD Archaeological Society we want to take our members back to where it all began.

Our tour will take in the Kilmashogue and Tibradden Mountains. Among a multitude of other things we will see, the tour will include a portal tomb, wedge tomb and two summit cairns, (an excavated Bronze Age cairn and an unexcavated possible passage tomb). For our non-prehistorians, the tour will also visit the remains of an 18th/ 19th Century estate, with stone masons marks, an ice house and we will get to see the impact of antiquarians on archaeological remains. If that's not enough there will be spectacular views of the city, coast and Dublin Mountains (provided we get the weather).

The tour will be professionally guided and the route is all on established trails.

As this will be our final tour of the year and marks a very special occasion in the history of the Society it will be free, however due to the nature of the hike you will need to be reasonably fit and wear appropriate clothing. So bare that in mind.

Tour takes place on Saturday the 12^th of April 2014 from 10am and should take about 3 hours.

If you have any further questions, please contact our Trips and Tours officer, Emmet at emmet.o-fionnalaigh@ucdconnect.ie or archaeology.soc@gmail.com

Cian Corrigan, Auditor