About

About

Castles in Communities began in 2015 with a long-term commitment between the community of Ballintober, the ancestral owners of Ballintober Castle, Irish Archaeologist Niall Brady, and the Anthropology Department of Foothill College. Sam Connell and Kathryn Maurer of Foothill College sought to build upon their experience in Mesoamerica and South America, where they have led archaeological field schools with a broader message and view point that archaeological investigations are not strictly limited to the past, yet are firmly rooted in the present. These experiences, and Sam’s familial connection to the island, led to the formation of the Castles in Communities Project. It is an applied anthropological project that seeks to utilize anthropological methods to train students in learning about contemporary and medieval Ireland.

Research

From an archaeological perspective, Ballintober Castle is surprisingly poorly understood in relation to other structures in the region. What is known is that it represents a significant historical moment, played out between the colonizing Anglo-Normans and the indigenous Irish. The project hopes to better situate Ballintober within the regional expansion and contraction of Anglo-Norman presence and contribute to the discussion about cultural collision, colonial suppression and indigenous response to colonial control. What is particularly interesting is that by the time the Anglo-Norman presence is seen in Ballintober, they've already been in Ireland for over a century, and this leads to intriguing challenges for archaeologists to 'identify' a particular cultural entity. Nothing here is strongly mono-colour; all is quite 'grey', and that's what get us into the field each morning to unravel and explore.

From a local perspective, Ballintober Castle is a structure located on the periphery of the present-day village, yet it has remained a significant point of reference for the community. Abandoned in the 1700s, the castle has slowly succumbed to nature and has been re-purposed throughout generations. Its walls became a resource for materials (a 'living quarry') with the lower sections periodically mined for stone and its inner courtyard used as a grazing area for livestock. The outer greens have played host to large social events and gatherings, including horse-fairs, yet the long term vision for the castle's role has lain dormant until now.

Future

The Castles in Communities Project hopes to address the future of the Castle and contribute by re-positioning it as an historical landmark that can be integrated more actively, and interactively, into the social fabric of the wider region. The project is involved in a community driven conservation plan that includes both the castle owners and the village community, who share the goal to stabilize the castle structure, open it to the public, and develop culturally relevant economic goals around the castle. In 2022, the village won a coveted conservation grant and work began on stripping the ivy off the southwest corner tower, revealing its majesty that has lain hidden since the early 1900s.

The Castles in Communities project is about education and cultural exchange. Since 2015, the project has involved over 250 students; each has contributed with individual cultural and archaeological projects that have added to the continued success of the program. On a yearly basis, a significant number of students return as staff to continue to strengthen the ties between Ireland, the United States and further afield.