The fires on Bray Head this summer revealed a sign from World War 2

During the World War 2, the country Ireland was neutral. This means that Ireland didn’t take sides in the war between the Allied and the Axis forces.

In the earlier part of the war (between 1942 and 1943), large signs which said Éire, were placed around the coast to let bomber pilots know that they were flying over a neutral country. Originally there were over eighty of these.

There was one on Bray Head, between Bray and Greystones. These signs were made out of large stones. The stones were painted white. The paint faded over time and the stones became overgrown. In Bray the sign could no longer be seen.

This summer, there was a huge fire on Bray Head. The gorse was burned and the sign could be seen again.

You can read more about these signs in ‘The Journal’ online newspaper . You can see photos of the sign too. There is more information and photographs on

EIRE8 – Bray Head

This was an exciting summer for signs from the past. The lack of rain meant that the grass died back. In Newgrange, County Meath crop marks were revealed. You can read about them here:

What are crop marks?

Rathdown – Evidence in the Landscape (cropmarks)

An aerial survey by Cambridge University

in July 1970 found cropmarks that showed Rathdown

was a medieval village or town

with signs of a castle, church and houses.

 

You can see the original photos HERE.

 

Can you work out where the village and castle

may have been from the markings on the ground?

 

What are crop marks?

When places where people once lived are deserted,

they become overgrown.

RuinsCreative Commons License Mark Coleman via Compfight

Eventually they are buried.

What is underneath the soil can affect

how the crops above them grow.

Ditches dug into the ground fill up

with soil over time. Crops grow well in these place.

They grow higher and look greener.

These create ‘positive’ cropmarks.

 

Where there are walls, floors or foundations underneath,

there is a thinner layer of soil.

Crops don’t grow as well on top of this rubble.

This creates ‘negative’ cropmarks.

Positive and negative cropmarks can be seen best from the air.

RHB_UK_Harnhill-1672_LabelledCreative Commons License DART Project via Compfight

Click on this LINK to read more about cropmarks.

Click HERE for a very detailed excavation

at Rathdown dating from 1997.