Archaeologists, historians and academics from across Ireland gathered in Kilmallock, Co Limerick last weekend for a hugely successful conference re-imagining what Ireland's urban areas may have looked like during the 16th century.
Organised by Limerick City & County Council and funded by Limerick City of Culture and the Irish Walled Towns Network, the conference examined strands of 16th century Ireland by focusing on the County Limerick town's fortifications, the role of the merchant classes, and the function, design, origins and influences of its domestic buildings.
This time period is regarded as one of the least understood and studied periods in the country's history and the conference generated huge interest according to Sarah McCutcheon, Executive
Archaeologist, Limerick City and County Council.
“We had people attending from all over Ireland and received a super amount of positive feedback after the conference,” Sarah explained.
“Kilmallock is one Ireland’s most intact Walled Towns and was an ideal case study for an examination of 16th century Ireland. Throughout the conference we established the historic background and set the scene for this period. We brought together a range of experts to explore a variety of strands, such as the urban architecture, the function of the buildings, their design, origins
and influences, the fortifications, their upkeep and transformation in the face of modern weaponry, and the economic functions of the town and the merchant classes.
“A lot of our visiting academics were visiting Kilmallock for the first time and were really impressed with the town which was looking fantastic thanks to the hard work of the OPW and the local FAS scheme. It also generated a positive economic impact for the town with the local hotel and B&B busy over the weekend so overall we’re delighted with the success of the entire event.”
Kilmallock's town walls, 70% of which remain standing today, led it to becoming one of the most strategically important towns in Ireland resulting in its direct involvement in almost every Irish
conflict since medieval times. Hundreds of metres of the town's medieval walls have been restored since the Kilmallock Town Walls Conservation & Management Plan and Kilmallock Walled Town
Public Realm Plan in 2009.
“The conference was such a success, I firmly believe it will raise the profile of the late medieval remains within the environs, encourage repeat visits and establish Limerick City, Kilmallock and
other Walled Towns firmly on the itinerary of cultural tourism," said Brian Hodkinson, Conference Speaker and Acting Curator, Limerick Museum.
He added: "A really interesting part of the conference was examining the appearance of Limerick during the 16th century, a time when the City was described as 'a wondrous proper city' with houses 'made of quadrangular blocks of black marble and built in the style of towers or fortresses'. While we had a great attendance locally, a large percentage of the delegates came from further afield, as the subject matter had a national appeal and we were delighted with the feedback and the level of interest.”
Other speakers at the two day conference included Dr. Rachel Moss, Assistant Prof. History of Art & Architecture, Trinity College Dublin (Building a house in the 16th century: craftsmen & patrons);Dr. Jim Higgins, Heritage Officer, Galway City Council (16th century Galway, the merchants houses); (Catherine Desmond Myrtle Grove, Youghal); Dr. Jane Fenlon, Art Historian Consultant(Merchants and their houses); Prof. Colm Lennon, Dept of History, NUI Maynooth (The social and cultural world of the merchant families); Dr Liam Irwin, Former Head of Department of History Mary Immaculate College (The 16th century -setting the scene); Frank Coyne, Director, Aegis Archaeology Ltd. (Supervalu Kilmallock recent discoveries); Ben Murtagh, Buildings Archaeologist Consultant (Changes in design of merchant houses 1500-1600); Col. Donal O’Carroll, Former President of the Irish Military History Society (Small arms & armour); Paul O’Keefe, Archaeologist, National Roads Authority (Camps, cannons & calivers: the archaeology of the Siege of Kinsale); and Brian G Scott, Heritage Consultant (Walls &cannon conflicts of interest)David Sweetman, (Retired Chief Archaeologist, National Monuments Service).