Ballyhanna: Stories from the Grave Audiobook

Hear Stories from the Grave with this Audiobook based on the archaeological excavation of a once lost medieval graveyard

Ballyhanna: Stories from the Grave Audiobook

Hear Stories from the Grave with this Audiobook based on the archaeological excavation of a once lost medieval graveyard

Hear Stories from the Grave with this audiobook based on the archaeological excavation of a once-lost medieval cemetery at Ballyhanna, Donegal

Hear stories from the grave with this audiobook that details the discovery in 2003 of a graveyard and the foundations of a small forgotten stone church in Ballyshannon, County Donegal. The discoveries were made as part of the N15 Bundoran–Ballyshannon Bypass archaeological works. It led to one of the largest excavations of medieval burials ever undertaken on this island; over 1,200 individuals were excavated from the site at Ballyhanna over the winter of 2003–4, representing 1,000 years of burial through the entire Irish medieval period.

The Ballyhanna Research Project is a cross-border collaborative research project that was established to investigate a medieval church and burial ground, which was lost from local knowledge for centuries, rediscovered in 2003 and subsequently excavated. One of the primary aims of the project is to show how scientific research may aid our interpretations of archaeology and reveal new insights into past societies. The project research tells us about this community through death and burial traditions, and by examining these aspects, it also tells us also about the people that lived in this medieval community, who, over the course of a millennium, were laid to rest in a small graveyard by the banks of the River Erne. The audiobook weaves the archaeological information into fictionalised first-person accounts, allowing you to hear stories from the grave

The audiobook contains information on:

  • The History of Ballyhanna
  • The archaeological excavation
  • How science revealed the story of Ballyhanna
  • Fictionalised accounts based on archaeological and historical evidence that tell the ‘stories from the grave’.

Five sections are written from the first-person perspective of individuals whose remains were discovered during the excavation, or who were likely to have lived and worked at Ballyhanna in the past. These first-person accounts are fictional, but attempt to recreate their time, surroundings and lives, based on the information retrieved during the excavation and analysis, and from contemporary historical records.

BALLYHANNA: STORIES FROM THE GRAVE AUDIOBOOK

BALLYHANNA: STORIES FROM THE GRAVE AUDIOBOOK

Title: Ballyhanna Audiobook

Duration: 52 mins.

Summary:
Hear Stories from the Grave with this audiobook based on the archaeological excavation of a once-lost medieval cemetery at Ballyhanna, Donegal. You can enjoy our Audiobooks anywhere, from the comfort of your favourite chair, or download to enjoy while you’re out and about. Simply hit play to hear the stories of Ireland.

The Ballyhanna Stories from the Grave Audiobook

Abarta Heritage produced this audiobook on behalf of Transport Infrastructure Ireland.  The audiobook is based on the excavation reports from the dig, and the publication The Science of a Lost Medieval Gaelic Graveyard by Catriona J. McKenzie, Eileen M. Murphy and Colm J. Donnelly, published by Transport Infrastructure Ireland. A second publication on the site; Life and death in medieval Gaelic Ireland: The skeletons from Ballyhanna, Co. Donegal, by Catriona J. McKenzie & Eileen M. Murphy has been published by Four Courts Press.

The audiobook was written by Neil Jackman, and narrated by Gerry O’Brien and Sharon Mannion.  It was produced by Róisín Burke with sound engineer Declan Lonergan of Bluebird Studios, Kildare.

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