County Fermanagh project wins top UK archaeology award

The Cuilcagh to Cleenish Memory Map team are delighted with their win

A community project in County Fermanagh, which has recorded local heritage in a digital multi-media map, has won a top archaeology award.

The Cuilcagh to Cleenish Memory Map records over 90 places and stories.

It includes references to battles, rural traditions, archaeological discoveries and natural history.

The map beat 84 other entries from the UK and Ireland to win the Council for British Archaeology's overall Outstanding Achievement Award.

The map showcases the heritage, history and culture of the area between Cuilcagh Mountain and Cleenish, linking the communities of Bellanaleck, Arney, Killesher and Florencecourt.

Locations are brought to life via a digital collection of music, stories, history, community-made films, natural recordings and photographs.

Several community projects over the last eight years have provided the map with a wealth of material.

It includes the experience of WW1 veterans who were provided with "homes fit for heroes" on Cleenish Island.

It also records the rural tradition of brick making.

Local people even re-discovered the location of the Battle of the Ford of the Biscuits.

A rare Bronze Age sword was also uncovered on the banks of the Arney River.

Maurice Owens with the sword his brother found and a history book providing more detailed information

Barney Devine, local coordinator for Cuilcagh to Cleenish: A Great Place, said he was thrilled to win the award.

He said the map showcases the rich but often overlooked natural, built, archaeological and cultural heritage in the area.

"One of the lovely things in it for me is that it's about this place and it actively involves people from this place," he told BBC News NI.

"It is a live map, we can continue to add to it.

"It will always be there as a digital record for the whole community."

Barney Devine says the project is "a digital record for the whole community"

As well as exploring the memory map, local people and visitors are also encouraged to walk two new community trails in Arney which showcase the history of the area.

The project was supported by the National Lottery Heritage Fund, Fermanagh and Omagh District Council and Outdoor Recreation Northern Ireland.