Derrycarhoon: A later Bronze Age copper mine in south-west Ireland

This article is from Current Archaeology issue 410

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REVIEW BY ROB IXER

Over the decades, O’Brien has recorded, in intense detail, the earliest prehistoric copper mining in south-west Ireland, namely Beaker People’s Chalcolithic to early Bronze Age exploitation at Ross Island (now known for its massive contribution to Bronze Age metalwork), early to middle Bronze Age mining at Mount Gabriel, and now the late-middle Bronze Age copper mining at Derrycarhoon. Although the zeitgeist of the sites is very different, with Derrycarhoon a faded hidden wooded shade, O’Brien has enthused on all to good effect.

After a full account of the area’s 19th- and 20th-century finding, exploration, exploitation, and disturbance, O’Brien describes what are, in essence, short, malachite-stained vertical linear voids in grey green meta-sediments. There is no sign of fire-setting and his excavations produced few material finds: some mauls, an antler, probable prod sticks (but no kindling/charcoal), and trace amounts of green-stained copper mineralisation. Debris litter from felling the conifer plantation round the site made recognising Bronze Age organic matter for radiocarbon dating difficult, a literal attempt to see (Bronze Age) wood for the trees.

The second half of the book uses Derrycarhoon as the McGuffin to lead into far wider discussions on Bronze Age society in Munster, where Kearney’s excellent palaeoecological study is key; then to prehistoric metal exploitation, a recap on Mount Gabriel musings; to metal circulation throughout the Bronze Age in Ireland (and north-west Europe) with new Swedish chemical and isotopic data on Irish artefacts from this period a very welcome bonus. A final chapter summarises late Bronze Age, perhaps bloody, events. Collectively they itemise and summarise the prehistory of pre-Iron Age south-west Ireland well. However, throughout, Derrycarhoon seems to have played a very minor role, if any. It now has engendered three millennia of serious endeavours for slim pickings.

O’Brien is an enthusiastic and prolific photographer, even of the non-photogenic. Sadly, the murky reproduction of his photos and brevity of their captions detract from their usefulness; most other figures are highly informative. This is a significant book, notably the later chapters, and as ever the text is straightforward and readable, with its important themes clearly and regularly given.

Derrycarhoon: A later Bronze Age copper mine in south-west Ireland
William O’Brien
BAR, £54
ISBN 978-1407359250