UCD School of Archaeology

Scoil na Seandálaíochta UCD

News

Dr Blaze O’Connor

The School of Archaeology is very sad to have lost our esteemed colleague and friend, Dr Blaze O’Connor, NUI Post-Doctoral Fellow in the UCD School of Archaeology. Blaze died on Saturday 8th August and funeral services were held in Leicester on 13th August and in Auckland, New Zealand on the 18th August. The World Archaeological Congress has a condolence page for Blaze on its website. The School will be organising a commemoration and celebration of Blaze’s life at a date to be announced.

Ka tuhoa te ra, ka wairara, ka hinga...The sun rises to the zenith, then sets.

Professor Gabriel Cooney, Head of School, UCD School of Archaeology

Date Posted: Thu, 20 Aug 2009 12:00:00 IST

Invitation To An Experimental Archaeology Weekend

UCD School of Archaeology doctoral researcher Brian Dolan is organising an experimental archaeology weekend which will take place from the 6th-7th of March 2010. The experiment forms part of his PhD research which looks at early iron technology in Ireland. The main goal of the weekend is the production of an iron bloom from bog ore collected recently in Co. Offaly. Other activities will include flint knapping, charcoal making and glass bead production.

The weekend is being organised in conjunction with the Irish National Heritage Park in Co. Wexford and will be taking place in the vicinity of the park's reconstructed ringfort. Members of the public are welcome to come and view the experiment as it happens.

More information can be found on the project's website which will be updated with results of the experiment; blog posts about the project can be found here.

Date Posted: Fri, 26 Feb 2010 10:00:00 GMT

UCD School of Archaeology MA scholar wins international award

Niamh Arthur, recent (2008/2009) MA in Archaeology graduate student at UCD has just been announced as the joint winner of the UK Medieval Settlement Research Group's (MSRG) John Hurst Prize for the Best MA thesis/dissertation in Britain and Ireland on Medieval Settlement (2009). This is the third time that this prestigious award has been given to a dissertation from the UCD School of Archaeology (Triona Nicholl, 2004; Jonathan Kinsella, 2005) all dissertations supervised by Dr Aidan O'Sullivan. UCD School of Archaeology's co-ordinator of its Graduate Studies programme, Dr. Graeme Warren, congratulated Niamh on her international success, whose dissertation was on the subject of Viking longphorts or raiding bases in Ireland, and noted that chair of the award committee had commented on the high standards of the UCD School of Archaeology MA students and their dissertations.

Date Posted: Fri, 05 Feb 2010 09:00:00 GMT

Conference: Wetland Archaeology in Ireland and Beyond

6th-7th February 2010, University College Dublin

This conference builds on a long tradition of archaeological examination of Irish wetlands. Papers are sought that introduce new research, or explore new approaches to previous research, with specific reference to peoples’ interactions with wetlands. Papers can work at various scales from the wide to the site specific and across different themes from the sacred to the profane to the environmental.

Papers at the conference will be broadly grouped into sessions of archaeological and environmental studies at small and large scales. The first day will focus on site level studies mainly relating to individual sites or excavations and environmental studies at local scale. The second day will feature inter-site papers, surveys, regional level environmental studies and multidisciplinary projects. Individual projects wishing to present more than one paper are requested to submit proposals across the scales and themes of the conference.

Date Posted: Sat, 19 Dec 2009 10:00:00 GMT

Conference: The 4th Annual Early Medieval Archaeology Student Symposium

The 4th annual Early Medieval Archaeology Student Symposium brings together graduate students and early career researchers in the field of early medieval archaeology. EMASS is a forum where new research can be aired, perhaps for the first time, in a constructive and interested environment. It is run by and for early medieval researchers and encourages the application of theory to early medieval archaeology, as well as a truly multi-disciplinary perspective. As always, EMASS 2010 has no set theme, but encourages papers from any aspect of early medieval archaeology, and from any part of the world. EMASS 2010 is sponsored by UCD Humanities Institute of Ireland, UCD School of Archaeology, and the Office of Public Works. For further information, please contact info@emass2010.com or see the conference website www.emass2010.com

Date Posted: Tue, 26 Jan 2010 16:04:00 GMT

Featured Module: Combat Archaeology

Warfare is a transformative aspect of human cultures, from territoriality in gatherer-hunter society to the global scale we witness today. Weapons and the artefacts of war are at the heart of this module. Through these Dr Alan Peatfield investigates the practical and personal applications of weapons in the context of combat, and the social implications that arise from their development and use. The module covers a wide time span from the early Prehistoric appearance of weapons, through their role during the Bronze Age, Greek and Roman World, into the Mediaeval period.

Date Posted:

Festschrift for Professor Barry Raftery

Over 60 academics from Ireland, Britain and Europe have come together to honour the life and career of the recently retired Professor of Celtic Archaeology at University College Dublin, Barry Raftery. Professor Raftery is best known for his widely published work on the IronAge, including the landmark monograph Pagan Celtic Ireland, his extensive excavations at the lateBronze Age hillfort at Rathgall, Co.Wicklow, and his programme of innovative research onwooden trackways and associated features in Irish raised bogs. This festschrift is a testament to the very deep regard and affection in which Barry is held in many countries.

Download the pre-publication offer flyer >>

Date Posted: Wed, 23 Sep 2009 10:15:00 IST

School of Archaeology Transition Year Programme 2009

From Monday 23rd to Friday 27th of March 2009 the School of Archaeology held its first annual Transition Year Programme for second level students. The ten students taking part in the week of archaeological activities came from schools across Dublin as well as counties Kildare and Tipperary.

Date Posted: Mon, 27 Apr 2009 20:25:00 IST

Discovering the Archaeologists of Europe: Ireland (DISCO) report launched

UCD School of Archaeology working on behalf of the Institute of Archaeologists of Ireland has completed the Irish component of a major international study profiling the archaeological progression in Europe. The Irish report as well as those for the other 11 partner countries are now available on the Discovering the Archaeologists of Europe: (DISCO) website.

Date Posted: Tue, 01 Dec 2009 12:00:00 GMT

Foresight Report - Archaeology 2020

UCD report calls for repositioning of Irish Archaeology by 2020 to address critical issues. Pictured at the official launch of Archaeology 2020 at the Royal Irish Academy: Professor Gabriel Cooney (left), UCD School of Archaeology and Mr Dick Roche TD, Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government

Read UCD News article >>
Archaeology 2020 (PDF) >>

Date Posted: Thu, 14 Jun 2007 20:38:00 IST

Professor Gabriel Cooney (left), UCD School of Archaeology and Mr Dick Roche TD, Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government