Friday, November 11, 2011

Irish medieval 'lost town' opens its streets

The pub trade once bustled in this medieval Irish town before it was eventually abandoned after an economic meltdown. Archaeologists have found new clues about life in the early-Norman settlement in Co Kilkenny.

Newtown Jerpoint, near Thomastown, is today one of the best surviving examples of an abandoned medieval town. Light-detection and ranging technology -- used by armies throughout the world to detect underground bunkers -- found the 'lost town' dating from the 13th Century.

The Irish Heritage Council (IHC) has long known of its historical importance of the site but the latest dig by archaeologists has given an insight into life in the Norman settlement.

Click here to read this article from the Belfast Telegraph