Exploring Our Shared Heritage With Argyll, Scotland
From 22 to 24 April 2013, 24 pupils and five staff and parents from Mill Strand Integrated School visited Tayvallich and the surrounding area of Argyll to explore historic sites, museums and community to explore our shared heritage. The visit gave the pupils the opportunity to learn how people lived, worked, survived and thrived in an ever changing political landscape and how the movement of people and shifts in power tied our regions together in a shared heritage that has helped form the world we live in today.
Travel to Tayvallich
We set off at 5.15am from Mill Strand to catch the P&O sailing from Larne to Troon. Travelling up through Scotland was exciting, we saw lots of stunning scenery and passed through quaint Scottish villages. Our favourite one was Inverary. We stopped along the way for some photographs of the idyllic landscape.
CLICK on the link to the left to see photographs from our first day in Argyll
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Kilmartin House Museum
Kilmartin House Museum are a professional body of historians in Argyll who have worked hard to preserve the heritage culture of their local landscape. Kate and Julia, employees, worked with us throughout our trip, but these pictures opposite refer to our initial workshop. We firstly visited the museum (the white building behind the picnic tables) containing information and artifacts dating as far back as Stone Age. We were fascinated by the grave slabs that Naomi is studying on the left. The museum also clearly illustrated the advances of mankind through the bronze and iron ages and reinforced the importance of metal through the ages.
The numerous surrounding historic sites, forts and castles give a fascinating insight into how these lands were fought over and the strong connection between these land and the north coast of Ireland over the last millennium. |
Dunadd Fort
We visited Dunadd Fort near Kilmartin/Tayvallich to learn about some of the historic events linking our regions and the Kingdom of Dalriada.
Originally occupied in the Iron Age, the site later became a seat of the kings of Dál Riata. It is known for its unique stone carvings below the upper enclosure, including a footprint and basin thought to have formed part of Dál Riata's coronation ritual. On the same flat outcrop of rock is an incised boar in Pictish style, and an inscription in the ogham script. The inscription is read as referring to a Finn Manach and is dated to the late 8th century or after.[3] Dunadd is mentioned twice in early sources. In 683 the Annals of Ulster record: 'The siege of Dún At and the siege of Dún Duirn' without further comment on the outcome or participants. In the same chronicle the entry for 736 states: 'Aengus son of Fergus, king of the Picts, laid waste the territory of Dál Riata and seized Dún At and burned Creic and bound in chains two sons of Selbach, i.e. Donngal and Feradach.'[4] Courtesy of Wikipedia |
Tayvallich Reception
Our busy first day in Argyll ended with a lovely meal in the Tayvallich Inn and a reception in the Tayvallich Community Hall where we saw a display on medieval times, the Kingdom of Dalriada and the work of pupils at Tayvallich Primary School.
After a long enjoyable and highly educational day we returned to our accommodation at Ford for a really well deserved, good night's sleep. |