IRISH HISTORY STARTS HERE: Coleraine Students Turn Hunter-Gatherers
Tue, June 09, 2015
IRISH HISTORY STARTS HERE: Coleraine Students Turn Hunter-Gatherers
Students from Coleraine High School and Coleraine Academical Institution are preparing to visit the historic Mountsandel site in Coleraine on Friday 19th June. They will be guided by specialists from Causeway Coast and Glens Borough Council who will educate them on the historical and environmental importance of the site. The event is organised in conjunction with the Coleraine Rotary Club. Pictured are; Mayor of the Causeway Coast and Glens, Councillor Michelle Knight-McQuillan; Causeway Coast and Glens Borough Council’s Tourism and Marketing Officer, Vicky Stevenson, Museums Collections Access Officer, Sarah Carson; and Environment Officer, Jim Allen; Coleraine Rotary Club’s President, Derek Sinnamon and Steven Wilson; Coleraine High School Principal, Mrs Anne Bell with pupils, Ruth Clarke, Sarah Kirkpatrick, Kelsey Henry and Gemma Quigg; and Coleraine Academical Institution pupils Aaron Gaston, Jonny McKee and Andrew Whiteside. For further information please contact Causeway Coast and Glens Borough Council’s Tourism and Marketing Officer, Vicky Stevenson on 028 7034 7034.Causeway Coast and Glens Borough Council, in conjunction with Coleraine Rotary Club, are working together to educate and inform schools on the historic importance and great significance of the Mountsandel in Coleraine. They have teamed up with Coleraine High School and the Coleraine Academical Institution to bring together a group of Year 10 pupils to learn about the hunter-gatherers in the area. Mountsandel is the site of the first known hunter-gatherers in Ireland, where excavations have revealed evidence of a Middle Stone Age settlement from as long ago as 7700-7400BC. Mayor of the Causeway Coast and Glens Borough Council, Councillor Michelle Knight-McQuillan who attended the site said, “This is a great opportunity to enable our local students to enhance their local historical knowledge. Council staff have a wealth of knowledge and access to resources, to support schools in this opportunity. I look forward to hearing the full story of how Mountsandel is a significant historical location both in the Borough and in Ireland. Professor Peter Woodman, who began excavating the site in 1973 and uncovered significant evidence said, “At the time, we did not realize that the site was nearly 10,000 years old. However we knew that for the first time, here in Ireland, we were standing on the actual spots where people had lived, ate, squatted down round the fire and told stories or found places to sleep.” On Friday 19th June students will visit Mountsandel Fort and the Mesolithic site itself, where there have been significant archaeological findings. They will also be guided around the nearby beach area, where they will find flint, and the surrounding forest and woodland. The area is interspersed with interpretative panels, highlighting the history and biodiversity of the site. The pupils will attend three separate workshops at three separate locations within the Mountsandel site - Archaeology, Flint and Hunting – facilitated by specialists from Causeway Coast and Glens Borough Council. During the hunting workshop, students will be asked to pick and bag some litter to raise awareness about the importance of looking after our natural environment and heritage. For those wishing to explore Mountsandel for themselves, visitors are welcome all year round. Admission is free and car parking can be found at the Loughan end of the Mountsandel Road. There is also a pedestrian access to the site, with a small layby at the Town end of the location. For further information please contact Causeway Coast and Glens Borough Council’s Tourism and Marketing Officer, Vicky Stevenson on 028 7034 7034. ENDS Caption: Students from Coleraine High School and Coleraine Academical Institution are preparing to visit the historic Mountsandel site in Coleraine on Friday 19th June. They will be guided by specialists from Causeway Coast and Glens Borough Council who will educate them on the historical and environmental importance of the site. The event is organised in conjunction with the Coleraine Rotary Club. Pictured are; Mayor of the Causeway Coast and Glens, Councillor Michelle Knight-McQuillan; Causeway Coast and Glens Borough Council’s Tourism and Marketing Officer, Vicky Stevenson, Museums Collections Access Officer, Sarah Carson; and Environment Officer, Jim Allen; Coleraine Rotary Club’s President, Derek Sinnamon and Steven Wilson; Coleraine High School Principal, Mrs Anne Bell with pupils, Ruth Clarke, Sarah Kirkpatrick, Kelsey Henry and Gemma Quigg; and Coleraine Academical Institution pupils Aaron Gaston, Jonny McKee and Andrew Whiteside. For further information please contact Causeway Coast and Glens Borough Council’s Tourism and Marketing Officer, Vicky Stevenson on 028 7034 7034.