Michael O'Kelly Professor of Archaeology at University College Cork gave evidence on behalf of Dublin Corporation and claimed that the site was not worth preserving controversially claiming it was 'just a hole in the ground'.
In spite of the recent Supreme Court ruling against the conservationists the argument over the so called Wood Quay affair continues. Dublin Corporation has gone ahead with work on the site in spite of claims that valuable archaeological items were endangered.
This was seen as a surprising view for an archaeologist to hold. O'Kelly asks why would you want "to preserve an open piece of rock and mud as a national monument?" He describes the decision by Judge Hamilton to declare Wood Quay to be a national monument as a "bad decision".
He argues that as soon as excavation takes place, destruction to the organic artefacts on the site begins, and that it is not feasible to preserve them.
Michael O'Kelly and Dr. Raftery, Director of the National Museum, are the only two experts to have spoken out against the preservation of the Wood Quay site. O'Kelly describes the objectors to Wood Quay as having "Father Martin, lunatic-fringe, rent-a-crowd set of objections".
Title: |
UCC Professor claims Woodquay is just a hole in the ground |
Clip Duration: |
00:07:55 |
Material Type: |
Audio |
Clip Title: |
"A hole in the ground" |
Series Title: |
This Week |
Information: |
This episode of 'This Week' was broadcast on 25 March, 1979. 'This Week' is a weekly round up of news and current affairs. The accompanying photograph shows an archaeological dig at Winetavern Street, Dublin (1969). © RTÉ Archives 2052/005 |
Local Keywords: |
Wood Quay, Vikings, Michael O'Kelly, Archaeology, |
Coverage: |
Ireland, Dublin |
Topic: |
Society and Social Issues |
Contributor(s): |
David Davin Power (Reporter) |
Publisher: |
RTÉ |
First Broadcast Channel: |
RTÉ Radio One |
Broadcast Date: |
25/03/1979 |
Production Year: |
1979 |
Country of Production: |
Ireland |
Original Identifier: |
QNX003222 |
IPR Restrictions: |
Rights Reserved - Free Access |
Rights, Terms and Conditions: |
Copyright RTÉ. This material may not be replicated in any form or manner without the prior express permission of RTÉ. Any form of reproduction in print, television, video, multimedia, web site or other electronic media or any form of dissemination for commercial or non-commercial use must be licensed by the RTÉ Archives. If you wish to licence video or audio clips, still images or text, or would like further guidance please contact us. RTÉ Archives are committed to respecting the copyright of others and have attempted to source and credit the copyright owners of all material used here. RTÉ would like to hear from any copyright owners who are not properly identified here so that the necessary corrections can be made. If you feel your copyright has not been respected please contact us. |
Item Type: |
part/extract |
Sound: |
Mono |
Language: |
English (eng) |
