What's it like to take part in an archaeological dig? I joined the excavation at Shaftesbury Park, Carrickfergus to find out

With the castle as its enduring landmark, Carrickfergus is often regarded as one of the most historically significant towns in Northern Ireland.

It has been the site of numerous archaeological digs in the past, with the latest excavation at Shaftesbury Park aiming to investigate a fort marked on an 1830s map of the area.

The project is part of the Community Archaeology Programme NI (CAPNI) by the Centre for Community Archaeology at Queen’s University Belfast, a National Lottery Heritage Fund-supported scheme that invites the public to participate in archaeological fieldwork.

While an earlier geophysical survey in March didn’t reveal any direct evidence of the outline of the fort itself, it did detect an ‘anomaly’ at the site that bore further investigation.

The survey also determined the best site for the two excavation trenches, which were already marked out when I arrived at the park on the first day of the dig (Tuesday, May 21).

Each day is divided into morning and afternoon sessions, with the latter open to the public and the former reserved for school groups.

As with any outdoor activity, fair weather certainly helped, and the sun was shining on me and the other volunteers as we lined up at one of trenches.

Having been advised to dress appropriately for the outdoor nature of the dig, I’d donned work boots and old clothing, while the QUB team provided us with the tools of the trade: a trowel, gardening gloves, bucket, shovel, a small tray for any finds and a foam pad for kneeling on.

As a newcomer to any kind of excavation, I wasn’t sure what to expect, but the process was straightforward. Each volunteer takes a section of the trench, and, kneeling, scrapes the soil away with the edge of the trowel. This, the organisers explained, removes the layer of topsoil and allows any small finds to be identified and gently unearthed.

When enough loosened topsoil is collected, it is shovelled into the bucket and deposited on a nearby tarp – an important step in returning the site to its original state at the dig’s conclusion.

Excavating with a trowel is a slow, but strangely relaxing process. A certain level of physical fitness is demanded, and while this part of the dig didn’t involve any heavy lifting, as a minimum you must be prepared to bend, stoop, and scrape over a period of a few hours (my knees were protesting slightly the following day).

The afternoon session unearthed several interesting pieces of the town’s history, from a blue and white patterned shard of pottery, thought to be 18th century, to the more modern discovery of a toy lead soldier with its black and red paint still visible. Other discoveries included a fragment of medieval pottery, a prehistoric flint scraper, and the rare find of a small implement identified as a ‘wig curler’.

And while I didn’t discover much other than several irate earthworms and a few flower bulbs, taking part in the dig was an enjoyable experience. Fresh air, exercise, and the possibility of unearthing something that hasn’t been seen in hundreds of years – what’s not to like?