The production of salt in Ireland: establishing a multiscalar understanding of the archaeology of a marine industry.

The production of salt has been a vital commodity for human life for millennia. Of crucial importance for preserving foodstuffs and thus allowing them to be exported, salt has been at the heart of successful civilizations, allowing the growth of city states and feeding their armies on campaign. This project seeks to investigate the role of salt production in Ireland's efforts to extend her commerce to a global market (in particular the transatlantic colonies - Mandelblatt 2007). Unlike neighbouring Britain, Ireland was never subject to large-scale industrial development, but nevertheless had a thriving export trade in salted beef and butter which stimulated economic growth from the seventeenth century (Rynne 2006). The importance of salt stems therefore from its crucial role in the burgeoning provisions trade which in turn facilitated economic expansion in the post-medieval era.

Despite the importance of salt production for underpinning the economy, there has been almost no field-based research focussing on the commodity. The result is a lack of knowledge concerning the scale and survival of sites associating with salt making and almost no archaeological evidence of the technology and material culture of the industry in Ireland. The paucity of previous work necessitates the project investigate the subject at both national and local scales, providing a context to understand the scale and geography of salt production and allowing focussed investigation on an important, recently discovered site of early salt production.
The national scale investigation will collate evidence from a wide range of cartographic and documentary sources to generate a comprehensive distribution (GIS package) of salt working sites. A significant sample of sites identified in this way will be selected for field visits aimed at recording and understanding the archaeological expression of salt working at different locations. This will provide an overview of the structures associated with salt production as well as features (e.g. brine reservoirs) that may be located within the vicinity and their relationship with regional ports. Of particular interest is whether any of the sites demonstrate combined industrial processes such as lime and kelp-making with salt production - a documented innovation that seems to have been unique to Ireland. The national framework will establish Irish salt making within a north European context, aid interpretation of excavation results (see below) and inform future research agendas. The project will specifically reveal through targeted excavation the unique remains of the earliest salt-working sites on the Irish coast - that at Ballycastle Bay in Co. Antrim. Three salt-working sites have been discovered in the Bay, bearing witness to three centuries of production (17th-19th centuries). Drawing on the large adjacent coalfield for fuel, the complex is the longest continuous site of salt production in the country. The main focus of the excavation will be on the recently discovered eastern site. This site is the earliest in the Bay, and may have its origins under MacDonnell ownership in the 16th century. The dig will ascertain a more accurate foundation date for the works, assess the level of technological sophistication in place, and provide insights into the material culture and working conditions of the 17th century salt workers. A secondary excavation will take place at the latest, western site, which uniquely preserves the iron pans used to evaporate brine. In this case the pans are in danger from erosion and archaeological investigation will be followed by work to stabilise and cover the site.

Drawing on a multi-scale approach, this project is the first attempt to investigate one of Ireland's most important post-medieval industries. The work will examine one of the most significant sites of salt production in the country, presenting a unique opportunity to provide new insights on the industry.

A number of organisations and sectors will benefit from the proposed project. These include:

International organisations - The research will be of interest to a number of international bodies, for example ECOSAL Atlantis - a European initiative to promote sustainable tourism based on the cultural and natural heritage of traditional salt-producing areas of the Atlantic (principally Portugal, Spain France and the UK). The UK-based partners have shown an active interest in the Ballycastle sites, visiting them in 2012. This project will underpin the enhancement of information available for this initiative to promote our European heritage. The result will integrate Irish evidence with the rest of the European Atlantic seaboard and make information available on site and through international media.

Government - The project will have contributions to make to those sectors of government responsible for the protection of cultural heritage in both jurisdictions of Ireland. The cross-border scope of the proposal provides a connected view of salt-making across the island and highlights its international networks. The findings of the survey will be made available to government departments (specifically the Northern Ireland Environment Agency and the Dept. of Heritage and the Gaeltacht) for inclusion in their Sites and Monuments Records. The research will also be used to petition policy-makers for greater attention to be paid to post-medieval monuments (see Pathways to Impact). On a more local scale the work will inform the management plan for the Causeway coast Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, in which the Ballycastle sites lie.

Professional / practitioner groups - groups expected to benefit from the research include archaeological organisations with an interest in post-medieval and industrial heritage such as the Irish Post-Medieval Archaeology Group (IPMAG - the PI is a committee member), the Society for Post-Medieval Archaeology (SPMA) and the Society for Historical Archaeology (SHA). The results of the work will enhance knowledge of the salt-working and its material culture for practitioners in the field.
Media interest (television, national newspaper and radio) in maritime archaeology across Ireland has been considerable and sustained - there is every expectation that this project would also attract attention from both the national and regional media.

Museums will have an interest in the findings of the excavation work, particularly those in the local area. Causeway Museums Service has a track record of interest in the industrial history of the area, with a number of past exhibitions on the theme. Their 1613-2013 Project exploring the legacy of Plantation will be directly relevant to the excavation work. Moyle Council is also planning a McDonnell Heritage Trail in which the salt works will be a significant point of interest. The project has the potential to enhance similar educational initiatives in the future.

The local community has a thriving historical society and a number of enthusiastic individuals who have expressed great interest in the findings of the work. Some of these members carried out preliminary identifications of the salt-working sites and so have a long-standing interest in the topic. Talks, tours and workshops will be offered to these groups either as a stand-alone event or as part of the wider commemorations planned by local agencies (e.g. museums) in the next two years.