Our work this year has taken us from the distant past to space age future, from deep seas to outer space, from the submerged to the sublime ! From Centenary Commemorations to Star Wars in West Kerry ! Now we find ourselves more and more involved in alternative energy projects in particular wind and solar farms, as well as a myriad of other areas from seabed to mountain top and everything in between . Wishing everyone a peaceful and prosperous New Year . All aerial photos taken by Fiachra Dunne

Aud Anchor goes on display in Blennerville ,Tralee. Pictured: Stephen O'Sullivan, John Moriarty and Laurence Dunne - photo courtesy Kerry's Eye. The Admiralty pattern streaming anchor from the 1916 gun-running ship the Aud has been put on display at the Windmill Complex, Blennerville in advance of the centenary of the execution of Roger Casement in Pentonville Prison, London on 3rd August 1916. The display also includes a series of information panels that we produced to document the contemporary history of the Aud including Roger Casement's role and other related information on the Kerry Volunteers. The display further includes a comprehensive account on the Recovery and subsequent Conservation of the two Aud anchors undertaken at our facility in Tralee between 2012 and 2016. The second stockless anchor is on display in the Cobh Heritage Centre.The entire project was funded by the Tralee Bay Heritage Association supported by NEWKD, Leader Program.

The Centenary Commemoration of Roger Casement at Banna Strand on Thursday 21st April was a very special occasion for us in Kerry (and indeed for people nationwide and worldwide). This was the only State Commemoration outside of Dublin. Laurence Dunne Archaeology in association with the Tralee Bay Heritage Association were honoured to be invited to participate in the State centenary event by displaying the two anchors from the Aud that were conserved in Tralee in time for the commemorations and had been unveiled recently by Minister for Diaspora, Jimmy Deenihan with the German Ambassador Matthias Hoffner. The anchors were the only artefacts on display and apart from President Higgins, were the focal point on the day for the public as well as invitees. After making an evocative and erudite speech on the life and achievements of Roger Casement, President Michael D Higgins laid a wreath at the imposing Stockless anchor. With the pristine Banna Strand in the background, the LÉ Niamh was on station in Tralee Bay under Lieutenant Commander Daniel Wall. It was the most appropriate setting for the Commemoration 100 years to the day when the Aud under the command of Kapitan zur See der Reserve, Karl Spindler and his volunteer crew of twenty-two were perilously steaming around Tralee Bay with its cargo of arms for the Irish Volunteers searching in vain for a signal that never came. Earlier that same day, in darkness, Roger Casement, Robert Monteith and Julian Bailey came ashore by dinghy from U-19 at Carrahane on 'the lonely Banna Strand'. It was not lonely this 21st April! Thousands turned out for this momentous and moving event. For us it was the culmination of five years work in planning, recovery and conservation of the two Aud anchors. We were delighted and honoured to be involved in this historic event. Personally, placing the two anchors at Banna Strand at 4.15pm on Wednesday the 20th April (the day before the State event) had more historic context and resonance as that was the exact time that the Aud arrived at its clandestine rendezvous point one mile north-west of Inishtooskert and where the anchors had last been dropped. Last Wednesday was a brilliant sunny and flat calm day and the LÉ Niamh had taken up a position off the Magharee Islands I could not help but feel moved to thinking that the Aud had at last returned and landed in Tralee Bay. - Laurence Dunne See previous posts for detailed account of Aud Anchors 1916-2016 Centenary Project.

Aud Anchors 1916-2016 Centenary Commemoration Unveiling : Attended by almost a thousand people, the unveiling of two anchors from the 1916 gun-running ship the Aud took place in the Brandon Hotel Tralee on Friday 12th February 2016. At the event, hosted by the Tralee Bay Heritage Association, the German Ambassador Matthias Höfner and Minister Jimmy Deenihan performed the unveiling. Several of the divers who were involved in the archaeological recovery of the anchors in 2012 were also in attendance. Children from schools around Kerry attended as well as local politicians, councillors and interested members of the public. A slide show and information panels compiled by Laurence Dunne Archaeology and a short film by Paul Dolan provided detailed information on the recovery and conservation. Music for the event was performed by Opus 96 Chamber Choir conducted by Martina Ryan, while the ballad ' Banna Strand ' was sung by local man Willie Kelly and Spailpin. The unveiling of the anchors is the culmination of over 5 years work by Tralee Bay Heritage Association (www.tbha.ie) and Laurence Dunne Archaeology (www.ldarch.ie) who supervised their recovery in 2012 and undertook their conservation in Tralee with York Archaeological Trust under licence from the National Museum of Ireland. See website www.ldarch.ie and previous post

At 12:00 on Friday 12th February 2016 two anchors recovered from the historic shipwreck of the 1916 gun-running ship the Aud will be unveiled at the Brandon Hotel, Tralee, Co. Kerry by the German Ambassador Matthias Hofner and Minister Jimmy Deenihan. The event is being hosted by Tralee Bay Heritage Association. The anchors will be on display for the afternoon. Laurence Dunne Archaeology provided the archaeological expertise with regard to the licensed recovery of the anchors from the seabed at the entrance to Cork harbour in June 2012 .Conservation was undertaken at our facility in Tralee in association with Ian Panter, Chief conservator of York Archaeological Trust. The unveiling is the culmination of almost five year’s work including planning, licensed dive recovery and licensed conservation. The Centenary Conservation Project was an initiative of the Tralee Bay Heritage Association in conjunction with other interested individuals and divers from Kerry, Cork and Waterford. The impetus to recover the two anchors arose because they are regarded as important and easily understood artefacts of an extraordinary event in the foundation history of the Republic of Ireland in the lead up to the 1916 Easter Rising. The anchors are fitting memorials to the audacity of the Aud’s captain, Karl Spindler and his crew, the local Irish Volunteers and the overall extraordinary effort of Roger Casement’s secret gun-running mission from Germany to Fenit in April 1916. See httpa//www.ldarch.ie/:::www.ldarch.ie for more on this