Causeway Coast and Glens Museum Services, in partnership with Mountsandel Discovery and Heritage Group, will host a public engagement event linked to the archaeological survey at Mountsandel, to take place later in June.
The survey forms part of the wider Mountsandel project within the Causeway Coast and Glens PEACEPLUS Action Plan. This initiative is supported by PEACEPLUS, a programme managed by the Special EU Programmes Body.
The information session on Monday, May 25, will be held in Coleraine History Hub, the Diamond Centre, Coleraine from 2pm – 6pm.
At the information event, Professor Graeme Warren of the School of Archaeology, University College Dublin, who will be leading the dig, will deliver a presentation at 4.30pm, outlining his team’s plans for the first archaeological survey work to be conducted at Mountsandel in half a century.
From 2pm, younger visitors will have the opportunity to handle objects from Museum Services’ Prehistory box including a replica Mesolithic axe and arrow.
MDHG’s VR headset will allow visitors to step back into the virtual landscape of Middle Stone Age.
There will also be opportunities to engage with the archaeologist on site, with a public engagement session scheduled for Saturday, June 6 from 10am – 12pm, when everyone is welcome to come along and speak to members of the survey team.
Speaking about the work, Professor Warren said: “A programme of archaeological fieldwork is planned to take place at the internationally important Mesolithic site of Mount Sandel, in early June 2026, as a collaboration between University College Dublin and Ghent University, Belgium.
“It is unclear how much Mesolithic archaeology might still survive at Mount Sandel, beyond the areas excavated by Peter Woodman. Our survey work aims to assess the remaining archaeological potential of the site.”
Professor Warren continued: “Subject to finalising all permissions and licences, our work will include non-invasive geophysical survey, using four different techniques to best characterise variation in the sub-surface deposits, and minimally invasive bore hole survey: taking small vertical samples through the sediments to directly analyse and record the deposits themselves. This work will be carried out in close discussion with Historic Environment Division.
The international team of researchers leading the proposed fieldwork bring a high level of expertise and innovative methods to maximise the recovery of information from the survey.”
There will also be opportunities to engage with the archaeologist on site, with a public engagement session scheduled for Saturday, June 6 from 10am – 12pm, when everyone is welcome to come along and speak to members of the survey team.
For further information about any of the public engagement activities please contact museums@causewaycoastandglens.gov.uk