Were the roman army ever in Ireland(1st Cen AD)

[Nerva]

Pullo, surely you mean you work for the Spaniard, Trianus

[Billy]

I would reccomend you get yourself a copy of "Roman Ireland" by Vittorio Di Martino

Got it.
Read it.
Don't like it.

[brendan]

any specific reason you dont like it? Specifically: Content OR Methodology
-not seeking to be inflamatory but trying to clarify

Brendan

[Nerva]

I can understand why you wouldn't like it. On first reading it come across as not being particularily well written but, it does contain some nuggets. I really didn't appreciate the book until I had to try and pull some references out of it. Like I said, Warner or Raftry have some good material out there.

The funny thing is though, in several museums around the country you find Roman object of local provenence. Take Cork for example. They have a 3rd century Roman fibula found at Bantry during excavations. Did some Roman drop this? This type of find cannot possibly be taken to imply any Roman military presence, indeed it may well have belonged to a local who acquired it from trading etc but, given the fact that several locations in West Cork are know to have traded Tin and other oars with Mediterrainian cultures (Carthage being one), it is possible that it was lost by a Roman.

[Ambiorix apsealgair]

well up in the museum in dublin theres a 4th century military tunic that i think was found in killkenny (apologies if im wrong ), so mayb there was a recon or something in the 4th century,or mayb a small guard to protect someone or something

[brendan]

This is a little aside to the main question, but what do people *want* the answer to be?

I like the idea of a roman invasion being thrown into the sea by fierce local resistance, but that is purely nationalist sentiment. I sort of want that to be the answer.
I am more inclined to accept the likelihood of a trade settlement.

I have no evidence either way to support either point of view.

Brendan

[Nerva]

I think the answer to the original question is most likely YES. I think the nature of the finds are random or incidental. From what I have been told of Drumanageh, it shows signs of occupation more consistant with a settlement rather than a temporary fort, so, like Brendan I'm inclined to believe it was probably a trading settlement but, without actually seeing the artifacts from there it's impossible to say.

One thing I always point out though, Caivs Jvlivs Caesar went to Brittannia twice on expedition. The only record of these 'invasions' is from his own writings in the Bellum Gallia. So who knows, maybe the Romans came here in great force only the paperwork got lost

[Nerva]

Here's a couple of interesting links:

http://www.britarch.ac.uk/BA/ba14/ba14feat.html

http://www.iol.ie/~archaeology/drumanagh.htm

https://listserv.heanet.ie/cgi-bin/wa?A ... =0&P=46938

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tuathal_Techtmar

http://www.marsatqueens.co.uk/seminar-three.html

[Zip]

Hey all just wanted, to say I've been reading your topic on this hole Ireland roman thing. I love history myself and I do and lot of reading on the subject of Rome and the Roman empire.

Anyways just to say, if you read caesars campaigns in Gaul and his invasion of Briton you'll find that yes the Romans where here. A small legion on a scouting mission. Now correct me if I'm wrong, but they have recently found a new roman town or fort in wales. And people are starting to say and think that it was a staging point for a roman invasion of Ireland. I've read a lot of books on this subject course history is my passion. And people say if you love history so much why do i where and SS uniform well to answer that its simple I always had a thing for the German SS uniform lol. anyways moving as i said before its seems that the Romans where planing to invaded or have invaded at some stage. Now guys please cresct me if I'm wrong. But all I've read seems to amount to a roman invasion of Ireland just around the time of the boudicca revolt in britain.

[Na Fianna Éireann]

time will tell , but i know off little physical evidence from digs that would support the theory that the romans actually have anything other than trading posts here ,