Mark Keane is Sligo’s Field Monument Adviser. Mark works three days a week in north Sligo offering practical advice, information and guidelines to farmers who want to learn more about the monuments on their land. Field Monuments are the physical remnants of our heritage and culture. Since the arrival of the first people on this island, right up to more modern times, our ancestors have left their mark on the landscape. In County Sligo we have one of the highest concentrations of this heritage with over 6,500 listed archaeological sites and artefacts dotted around the county.
Many of these sites date back several millennia and include Stone Age tombs, Bronze and Iron Age Burials, Early Christian and Medieval sites. All of these sites are vital to our understanding of the legacy of our ancestors. The Field Monument Advisory Scheme is a new initiative. It is jointly funded by the Heritage Council and Sligo County Council. We are privileged in County Sligo to be at the forefront of this innovative scheme which seeks to improve heritage awareness by taking a proactive and partnership approach together with the farming community.
According to Mark ‘a key element of the scheme is recognising that for centuries, farmers have been the guardians of our heritage assets. That fact needs to be acknowledged and applauded, and the continuation of that tradition should be encouraged and supported’. The Scheme seeks to support farmers in this guardianship role by providing increased awareness and education, practical advice and sitespecific information.
The Scheme operates on a voluntary basis by seeking the co-operation of the farmer/landowner. The reaction of farmers and landowners in the pilot area has been very positive. They have welcomed the opportunity to learn more about the history of their monuments and also how to
best to utilise the land around them while respecting the tradition and integrity of the site.
The Sligo Field Monument Advisory Scheme was the first of it’s kind in this country and the template and work practices developed here in County Sligo are now being used in seven other counties.
Mark can be contacted via the Heritage Office on Tel. 071 9111 255. He is currently working in North Sligo and over the coming months will be calling to farmers in the Carney, Drumcliffe, Rathcormac, and Rosses Point areas.