Friends of the Derry Walls to host landmark lecture on Elagh Castle discoveries

The April lecture for the Friends of the Derry Walls will headline a lecture by renowned archaeologist Cormac McSparron. The event, titled “Elagh Castle Archaeological Dig", will take place at the Verbal Arts Centre on Wednesday, April 22.

Cormac will talk about his extensive dig at Elagh Castle. Elagh Castle, also known as Docherty’s Tower, survives as a partially collapsed masonry tower constructed upon a rocky outcrop overlooking the city of Derry  and the Pennyburn depression to its west.

It was in the 15th and 16th centuries the main castle and residence of the O’Docherty’s, although it is unlikely that they were the castle’s builders. It is probable that the existing remains were built in the 14th century before the O’Docherty’s held Inishowen.

An excavation was carried out at Elagh Castle in 2013 by the Centre for Archaeological Partnership in partnership with the Northern Ireland Environment Service as part of the Derry City of Culture celebrations. 

Cormac’s excavations revealed an Early Medieval outer rampart beyond the later Medieval castle, evidence for Early Medieval glass working, robbed out walls and floor platforms within the perimeter of the later Medieval castle, and foundations of a large structure of uncertain type to the north, which may have been part of an enclosure wall or bawn around the later Medieval castle.

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The results of the excavation, and the chronological information it provided, demonstrated that the remains which we can see today are simply the last phase of a long period of activity at Elagh Castle stretching back to the Early Medieval Period, and beyond into the Iron Age.

This supports the arguments made by a number of prominent historians and archaeologists that  Elagh Castle is likely to have been Aileach, the capital of the Cenél nEógain, one of the most important royal sites of Ireland.

This event will take place at the Verbal Arts Centre, Bishop Street, Derry at 7.00pm on Wednesday, April 22.

To reserve your ticket, CLICK HERE.