Maritime Lordship in Late-Medieval Gaelic Ireland

BY THE MIDDLE OF THE 15TH CENTURY a series of lordships had become firmly established along Gaelic Ireland’s western seaboard. These territories were controlled by a number of semi-autonomous kin groups, or ‘septs’. They were not homogenous entities but instead emerged under varying socio-political conditions and negotiated their relationships with society and landscape in multiple ways. Both physical geography and environment played a significant part in shaping the settlement and economic structures of each group. While this was a relatively conservative society, rooted in the traditions of the past, the lordships were also outward facing in their social and economic outlook. Rather than being remote and marginalised, these groupings were embedded within the broader north-western Atlantic social world, tied to the Continent through trade, the fishing industry and the increasingly cultural interconnectedness of society. However, by the close of the 16th century the lordships were under considerable stress following centuries of internecine conflict and increasing pressure from the English administration in Dublin and London.     

Maritime Archaeology and Maritime Heritage Protection in the Disputed Territory of Northern Cyprus

Between 1967 and 1974, the island of Cyprus was a centre of maritime archaeology in the eastern Mediterranean. Individuals such as Michael and Susan Katzev, George Bass, Jeremy Green and Richard Steffy were living on and visiting the island, and testing and developing methods still common in the discipline. The hostilities on Cyprus in the summer of 1974 and the implementation of international regulations limiting archaeological work in the northern portion of the island, however, had repercussions still evident today. This article summarizes past maritime archaeological work along the northern coastline, addresses the regulations limiting archaeological activity in the region and discusses a new training program licensed by the Nautical Archaeology Society aiding in the protection of the island’s maritime heritage representing approximately 10,000 years of activity.