Medieval Wreck To Be Moved From Boyne

The excavation and recovery of the wreck has been led by the National Monuments Service of his Department - working in conjunction with the National Museum of Ireland and the Drogheda Port Company.

The wreck was first discovered in late November 2006 during dredging operations on the River Boyne by Drogheda Port Company.

The accidental discovery has generated great interest, because it is the first such discovery in Ireland and much of the wreck is intact.

The wreck lies close to Drogheda port and is some 12 metres in length. The location of the vessel in mid-stream of the fast flowing River Boyne means that it was impracticable to leave the vessel to be preserved in situ. 

The wreck has now been fully archaeologically excavated to by an archaeological team. Having excavated and recorded the wreck to the fullest extent possible the team will now seek to recover as much of the wreck as possible on a timber by timber basis.

There is a possibility that some of the larger intact wooden sections may be recoverable.

The wreck will be conserved for further analysis and it is hoped to eventually put it on public display.

The final phase of the recovery operation on the wreck will be overseen by the National Monuments Service in co-operation with conservation experts from the National Museum of Ireland and with logistical support from Drogheda Port Company.

Announcing the progress so far, Minister for the Environment John Gormley, T.D., said, "This is considered to be a discovery of national and international significance. No similar wreck has been discovered so intact in Irish waters and seldom even in Europe and I am delighted that my Department is funding and co-ordinating the challenging recovery operation"

It is thought that the rescue operation will be completed by mid July 2007.

It is only then that the full import of the discovery can be evaluated.

The examination, conservation and analysis of this unique discovery in Irish and European maritime archaeological heritage will take some years of patient research to come to full fruition.