BREOCHLOCH

Laboratory of Creative Heritage

Saotharlann Oidhreachta Cruthaith

Presentation
&
Vision
Inr gcna lenr
n-Oidhreacht

Living the Heritage

Breochloch.Laboratory of Crea ve Heritage is a Social Enterprise

specialising in social development and research for communi es and
small businesses drawing on heritage resources. We aim to become
your rst stop for though ul, cri cal, transforma onal news about
Heritage and communi es. Look around at our projects, background
and blog inspired by good prac ce in community building from
Heritage and beyond. We're always on the lookout for new ways to
use Heritage to make a dierence in communi es and organisa ons,
so get in touch!
Breochloch, Laboratory of Crea ve Heritage is here to help you get involved in
exploring the archaeology and history of where you live!
Study of the past has become an increasingly popular and diverse ac vity enjoyed
by people of all ages. All places have a history and it is the way that we explore our
past that brings it to life. The past is not just about the rich and wealthy, it is about
the daily life of everyone.
We can study the past in many interes ng and exci ng ways - by interpre ng
landscapes, recording old buildings, nding lost se lements, iden fying ba leeld
sites, recording stories and oral histories, re-enactment, and nding archaeological
remains!
We want YOU to get involved in exploring the history and archaeology of West
Belfast. You can help us to manage and protect the historic environment by
learning more about it in crea ve and fun ways. You can tell others about that you
have learnt by crea ng heritage trails, websites, local history books, producing art
or photography, and hos ng exhibi ons and workshops.

Breochloch=

Noun/ARCHAEOL.

Flint

West Belfast Cultural Heritage is rich and diverse -from prehistoric standing stones, to medieval
churches, graveyeards and memorials to post-medieval industrial buildings ant to WW2 defence
features. The best known of these site are recorded and protected for by organisa ons sucha as the
Department of Enviroment (DoENI), Na onal Trust NI, local authori es and even land-owner, but
this stewardship only extended to a small percentage of West Belfast Cultural Heritage. Many other
sites need urgent care and a en on to ensure that they survive for future genera ons.
Taken part in our projects will equip volunteers with new skills in archaeological elwork and
conserva on, which can be used again and again to promote their own Heritage. It's also a great
way to keep ac ve, develop new skills, meet new people and achieve real results.
BREOCHLOCH LCH oers support and advice to community groups who want to take on heritage
projects that deal with the key themes of conserva on, access improvement,and interpreta on.
We will provide training in a range of skills tailored to the needs of each group. This includes survey
and recording; documentary research; project management; fundraising; hos ng educa onal
events, and interpre ve planning - you name it, we provide it, or else nd someone who can!
The real benet of our approach is the symbiosis between monument and community. The
monument itself is conserved, celebrated and interpreted for the future, and the act of
par cipa ng in the project brings the group together with new skills and condence, and a real
sense of ownership of the heritage on its doorstep. The interpre ve side of Breochloch poses real
challenges for communi es. They need to achieve two things which at rst seem mutually exclusive
- enabling the individual experience or feel of a monument to be enjoyed freely without too much
prescrip on; but also making it as physically and intellectually accessible as possible.
BREOCHLOCH Laboratory of Crea ve Heritage is working hard to make West Belfast's past
accessible and enjoyable for everyone, this includes helping communi es to care for the heritage
that belongs to us all. Many archaeological sites and monuments across our community are in need
of care and maintenance but few have owners with the resources to make this happen. Equally,
there are people who wish to step in to do something to help protect these monuments for the
future and to increase our understanding of them.

HERITAGE SERVICES

Cultural heritage management (CHM) is the voca on and prac ce of managing cultural heritage. It is a
branch of cultural resources management, although it also draws on the prac ces of conserva on,
restora on, museology, archaeology, history and architecture.
We oer our client a wide range of services in management also we're especialist in Interpreta on of
Heritage. Interpreta on refers to the full range of poten al ac vi es intended to heighten public
awareness and enhance understanding of cultural heritage site.

Cultural Heritage
M a n a g e m e n t
Bainistocht Oidhreachta
C u l t r t h a

By providing strategic advice at the outset of a project we can help oset any dicul es that may arise at
pre-planning or planning stage. We provide strong and experienced representa on for our clients during
consulta ons with planners, local authority archaeologists and conserva on ocers through-out the
planning process. By working closely with the other professionals within the design team we clearly set
out the relevant issues and deliver common-sense solu ons.
Our consultancy services include:
Planning advice on all aspects of cultural heritage.
Site feasibility assessment.
Public consulta ons.
Planning nego a ons and media on.

CULTURAL HERITAGE ASSESSMENTS

We have considerable experience in preparing cultural heritage assessments. Our objec ve is to
accurately assess the signicance of the cultural heritage of a site, assess the impact of a development
on it and work with the client and design team to develop appropriate mi ga on measures.
We provide exper se in the following areas:
Desk-top assessments.
Environmental Impact Assessments (EIA).
Local Area Plans (LAPs).
Strategic Environmental Assessments (SEA).
Environmental Reports.
Master Plans.
Scoping Documents.

BREOCHLOCH
Laboratory of Creative Heritage
Saotharlann Oidhreachta Cruthaith

We provide a comprehensive range of archaeological and built heritage services to the

development industry. Our clients include architects, planners, developers, local
authori es, semi-state bodies and government departments. We have the ability to
meet all of our clients cultural heritage needs from pre-planning advice, to managing
archaeological requirements on-site, through to securing full planning compliance. Our
aim is to provide an excellent service to our clients by supplying good advice, preemp ng poten al dicul es and delivering pragma c value for money solu ons whilst
ensuring that the project is completed on me, within budget and to the highest
archaeological standards.
We oer our clients a wide range of services, which ensures that we can provide for all
of their Archaeological and Built Heritage needs. We have the technical skills and
experience to allow us deliver pragma c and exible solu ons to any archaeological
situa on no ma er how complex and challenging. Our strength lies in our experience,
which is backed-up with a proven track-record of delivering for our clients.
FIELD SERVICES
Our clients expect Breochloch to provide a full archaeological service, working on their
behalf; iden fying and minimising risks, assessing liability, iden fying reasonable costs
as early as possible. Evalua ons, watching briefs and excava ons are rou ne parts of
our work and are always undertaken to the highest standard.

Professional Archaeology
C o n s u l t a n c y
Comhairle Ghairmiil
Sheandlaochta

ARTEFACTS POTTERY, SMALL FINDS, LITHICS

Artefacts provide a chronological framework and add detail regarding site func on and
status. Whether they are stone tools or cannon balls, the skill is knowing how to
respond to such discoveries, how to treat them, their interpreta ve value and which
specialist to seek advice from. Artefacts are key to the understanding of archaeological
sites.
HISTORIC BUILDINGS
Planning authori es, developers and conserva on groups increasingly see historic
building analysis as an integral part of development control and heritage management.
We have responded through the applica on of new me-saving technology and the
crea on of a dedicated and qualied team. Historic buildings are a valued and integral
part of our heritage.

Community Archaeology
Seandlaocht an Phobail

BREOCHLOCH
Laboratory of Creative Heritage
Saotharlann Oidhreachta Cruthaith

HERITAGE EDUCATION

Heritage Education
Oideachas Oidhreachta
The educa onal services provided are founded upon an
educa onal philosophy which seeks to engage, s mulate
and challenge learners. Enquiry and discovery-based
learning lies at the heart of learning programmes and
teaching sessions designed and provided by Breochloch.
Learning ac vi es and programmes of study will be
exible and responsive to meet the needs and desires of
individual clients. There is much scope for learning
outside the classroom. Archaeology is viewed as being an
exci ng and dynamic eld of study with massive crosscurricula study poten al.

The word archaeology does not appear in the Curriculum of Northern Ireland. However;
It is a tremendous aid to understanding many areas of the curriculum.
It involves kinaesthe c learning and so reaches those children who nd verbal learning
dicult.
It accesses many of the higher thinking and working skills.
It is easy to use many of the co-opera ve learning structures that help children to
learn.
Archaeology involves several intellectual processes:
Analysing what we know already and using this knowledge to make hypotheses
Asking ques ons that we hope our inves ga ons will answer
Discovering the evidence, revisi ng our original hypotheses and tes ng them against
what we have discovered.
Working forward to a new set of ques ons/hypotheses

Primitive Skills Activities

Gnomhaochta Scileanna Seanrsa
Breochloch-LCH preserves ancient skills that develop awareness and
suciency by providing a learning space with an emphasis on
individuals, community interac ons, and the environment in
rela on to todays world.
We organizes tailor made bushcra ac vi es for groups of all ages
and backgrounds, from one day to a full week.

Primi ve skills refers to prehistoric handicra s and pre-industrial technology.

Primi ve skills are those skills that relate to living o the land, o en using
handcra ed tools made from naturally gathered materials. Examples of
primi ve skills include: gathering and foraging na ve plants and animals for
food, skinning and preparing game, basketry and pot making, construc ng
shelters, re making, and useful plant iden ca on.
Interest in primi ve skills has coincided with a resurgence in interest in
natural and self-sucient living techniques.

BREOCHLOCH
Laboratory of Creative Heritage
Saotharlann Oidhreachta Cruthaith

BREOCHLOCH
Laboratory of Creative Heritage
Saotharlann Oidhreachta Cruthaith

BREOCHLOCH
Laboratory of Creative Heritage
Saotharlann Oidhreachta Cruthaith

HERITAGE&TOURISM

Historical&Archaeological Tours
Turais Stairila agus Seandlaocha
Heritage tourism is a branch of tourism oriented towards the
cultural heritage of the loca on where tourism is occurring.
Cultural a rac ons play an important role in tourism at all levels,
from the global highlights of world culture to a rac ons that
underpin local iden es.
Heritage tourism encompasses elements of living culture, history,
and natural history of place that communi es value and steward
for the future. These elements are very specic to a community or
region and can contribute to pride, stability, growth, and
economic development.

Re-anactment Events
Imeachta Athlirithe
Living history is an ac vity that incorporates historical tools, ac vi es and dress
into an interac ve presenta on that seeks to give observers and par cipants a
sense of stepping back in me. Although it does not necessarily seek to reenact
a specic event in history, living history is similar to, and some mes
incorporates, historical reenactment. Living history is an educa onal medium
used by living history museums, historic sites, heritage interpreters, schools
and historical reenactment groups to educate the public or their own members
in par cular areas of history, such as clothing styles, pas mes and handicra s,
or to simply convey a sense of the everyday life of a certain period in history.

BREOCHLOCH
Laboratory of Creative Heritage
Saotharlann Oidhreachta Cruthaith

BREOCHLOCH
Laboratory of Creative Heritage
Saotharlann Oidhreachta Cruthaith
119 Falls Road,
The Gaeltacht Quarter,
Belfast, BT12 6AA
07952909135
info@breochloch.net
www.breochloch.net

r
Inr gcna lencht
hrea itage
n-Oid
Living the Her

119 Bothr na Bhfl,

An Cheathr Ghaeltachta,
Bal Feirste, BT12 6AA
07952909135
info@breochloch.net
www.breochloch.net