The Big Dig – Unearthing Hidden History
The Belfast Hills Partnership along with the National Trust are tooling up for this year’s Big Dig on Divis and the Black Mountain in the hopes of unearthing hidden history.
Divis & the Black Mountain is looked after and cared for by the National Trust. It consists of c.2000 acres of upland and grassland heath which are rich in biodiversity. Similarly the site is one of significant archaeological interest located within the Belfast Hills.
This year’s exciting archaeological excavation, or “Big Dig”, will commence on 12 June. The dig will seek to unearth buried history on the Mountain. The dig will focus on the stone walled enclosure close to the Barn. We will be attempting to recover evidence of who once lived there and when.
“We know that Divis & the Black Mountain hold the prospect of revealing really valuable information about our past, stretching back millennia. In choosing one of the stone walled enclosures that survive on the mountain as our site for this years’ dig, we are going to investigate one of the more enigmatic sites on the mountain, one never before excavated. While we can’t predict what we will find we have evidence for over 4,000 years’ worth of human activity in the Belfast Hills ranging from worked flint scatters derived from the tool making efforts of our prehistoric ancestors, prehistoric burial cairns and hut sites, 18th and 19th century farmsteads and even remains from our 20th century defence heritage. We are delighted at the prospect of this dig and what it may reveal to us about the history of Divis & the Black Mountain, particularly with so many schools, groups and the public getting involved in this community excavation.”
Malachy Conway, Archaeologist for The National Trust
The two week long excavation will host 16 schools from Belfast city along with Youth Groups and the general public. This will be led by academics from the QUB Centre for Archaeological Fieldwork and the Ulster Archaeology Society along with the National Trust.
Public Open Day
The free public open day takes place on Saturday 17 June from 10am to 4pm. It will enable people of all ages and families to get their hand on history through helping dig a section of the site and viewing any unearthed artefacts. Additionally, attendees will have an opportunity to make a Bronze Age style pot. They’ll also get to see the ancient skill of flint knapping in action.
There will also be an opportunity to meet one of the archaeologists Harry Welsh. He will be leading a free Walk & Talk event on Thursday 22 June from 7pm-8:30pm. This is an opportunity to summarise the findings of the dig.
“The Divis dig has a strong element of youth empowerment. We have over 460 young people signed up to come along to the dig through schools and youth groups. Under the supervision of our expert team they will be excavating the site and helping uncover their local history. This is the 6th archaeology dig the Belfast Hills Partnership has undertaken; it’s the excitement, enthusiasm and care that the young people have when getting involved in the digs helps keep us motivated to explore new sites each year. It’s these same young people who will help protect our heritage for future generations.”
Lizzy Pinkerton, Belfast Hills Partnership Scheme Manager
The Big Dig is funded by the Big Lottery as part of the ‘Our Bright Future’ programme which seeks to unleash the potential of young people, so they can make a big, positive impact within their local communities. We have had the support of The Department of Communities’ Historic Environment Division and the Heritage Lottery fund’s Landscape Partnership Scheme for the project.
Up-to-date news and analysis of any artefacts found will be posted on Facebook and Twitter.