Europe - Ireland - The Irish Archaeological Field School

Excavations and survey will be on-going at a number of places throughout the season.

The work is part of an extended research programme designed to feed in to the Boyne Valley Reseacrh Programme.

Various locations within the Boyne Valley, Co. Meath, Ireland, including Bective Abbey, Rath Maeve (Hill of Tara) and Rossnaree (on the banks of the Boyne opposite the Bru na Boinne UNESCO World Heritage Site interpretive centre)

St Patrick's College, Dublin City University

3 credits for a minimum of 2 weeks participation or 6 credits for 4 weeks participation

By respected academics and practitioners supported by able and enthusiastic supervisors

Provided by our partners:
http://www.meathselfcatering.com/ – contact mmlydon@eircom.net for further information / bookings

Tuition Euro GBP* USD* CAD*
1 week €550 £480 US$775 CA$825
2 weeks €1000 £870 US$1415 CA$1495
4 weeks €1900 £1655 US$2685 CA$2845
Additional weeks thereafter €450 £390 US$635 CA$675

The area known as Brú na Bóinne, focussing on the major passage tomb complexes of Knowth, Dowth and Newgrange, was inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1993. However human settlement in the Boyne Valley can be traced back to long before the construction of these tombs, from at least the Mesolithic Period. A research framework (draft 2008) sponsored by the Department of Environment, Heritage and Local Government and prepared by The Heritage Council has set out a research agenda for the Brú na Bóinne area. This is grouped around five themes (People, Politics and Power, Landscape and Environment, Legacy and The Living World Heritage Site) and spans its history from earliest times to the modern era. The Boyne Valley Research Project aims to investigate these themes with a view to significantly contributing to the Brú na Bóinne research framework.

Work to date in the area has mainly focused on the passage tomb complexes. Although Knowth in particular demonstrates the long and varied history of use of these places, (Eogan 1968, 1984; Eogan et al. 2007, 2008; Stout and Stout 2008), there is much yet to be understood about settlement, burial practices, changing land-use and land ownership within the World Heritage Site itself, but also beyond it to the west.

The River Boyne was a conduit for travel into the interior of Ireland and outwards to the Irish Sea and this can be seen in the passage tombs of Lough Crew, and the Cistercian and Norman penetrations of Meath. The Boyne Valley Research Project will focus on the role of the river as routeway into and out of this wider landscape, and will seek to expand and build on work already carried out within Brú na Bóinne.

We seek to understand how and where people lived in the region through time, what markers they left in the form of monuments, artefacts, and the more subtle patterns of territorial divisions. The absence of bogland makes the reconstruction of the environment through pollen analysis difficult, but excavation of waterholes and pools may provide location specific detail.

By selecting areas for intensive field survey we can build on the work carried out by Brady (2002, 2007a and b; Brady et al. 2007) on lithic scatters, thus increasing, for example, the potential for understanding the Mesolithic presence in the region, already identified in nearby Leshemstown in excavations carried out by CRDS in 2005 (see below).

The Bronze Age is not well understood in this area, though work carried out at Knowth and Newgrange has shown a significant Early Bronze Age presence. It is clear from field walking and topographical studies that areas of Bronze Age activity can be identified by these means, and confirmed by limited and targeted excavations, such as those carried out by CRDS at Sheephouse and Oldbridge in 2003 (see below).

Similarly, excavations carried out by CRDS have identified a Cistercian Grange on the south bank of the Boyne near Stalleen. Our excavations at Bective will look in detail at the physical remains of a Cistercian Abbey, but through further fieldwork and documentary research, their influence over and ownership of large parts of the area can be clarified.

There is a rich architectural legacy in the region, from the Cistercian remains at Bective and Mellifont, through to the houses of the landed gentry such as Slane Castle, Beauparc, Stackallen and Townley Hall. The towns of Drogheda, Navan and Trim are medieval foundations, with histories going back before the Normans came. There is also a rich industrial history. All these will form sub-themes to the overall research.

The project aims to enhance our understanding of the known monuments and their context and will use principally non-invasive techniques coupled with targeted excavations, thus contributing to the greater understanding of the area, and to the greater enjoyment of those who visit it.

Bective Abbey, Co. Meath
Bective Abbey is an imposing and beautiful collection of buildings overlooking the River Boyne, Co. Meath. The second of a series of Cistercian abbeys in Ireland, Bective was founded in 1147 by Murchadh O'Melaghlin, King of Meath. Bective continued in importance after the arrival of the Anglo- Normans and the establishment of the Liberty of Meath by the important marcher Lord Hugh de Lacy in the later 12th century. The Abbey was the initial burial place for de Lacy after his murder before being moved to Dublin after a legal dispute. The Abbey was dissolved by Henry VIII in 1536 and its possessions passed to the Dillons and the Boltons. While elements of its history are known there is an enormous amount to be learnt about everyday life of the Abbey through archaeological research. Bective Abbey’s complex of buildings, which were rebuilt and modified over five hundred years, consists of a ruined church, chapter house, cloister, refectory, dormitory and tower house. Geophysical survey and test excavations have indicated that extensive remains dating to the foundation of the Abbey survive in the area outside these buildings.

In 2006 CRDS undertook archaeological excavations at Bective on behalf of the Office of Public Works. The work identified the presence of medieval deposits dating from the twelfth century which would relate to the very earliest period of Cistercian activity on the site.

In 2009 the Field School undertook a further programme of geophysical survey, architectural building survey and excavation. The survey work identified a range of previously unknown enclosures and possible buildings surrounding the abbey. Excavations uncovered the remains of a stone footed building, provisionally interpreted as a guesthouse, along with a drain and occupation deposits rich in medieval refuse; animal bone, plant remains, pottery and a beautiful metal pin. The excavations found that the area was possibly enclosed by a large ditch. Tiles with the Geraldine motto, sixteenth century benefactors of the abbey, were recovered from demolition deposits along with evidence for human burial in the post medieval period. The students received on site seminars from Fiona Beglane (animal bone) and Sarah Cobain (plant remains) as well as a chance to take part in all areas of archaeological recording.

Rosnaree, Boyne Valley, Co. Meath
In 2010 we will be working in partnership with Dr Conor Brady of the Dundalk

The Rossnaree enclosure is located in the western corner of the bend of the Boyne, on the southern side of the river. The location of the site is highly significant within the Brú na Bóinne complex. It marks the point at which the river begins to delineate the ‘bend’ of Brú na Bóinne and is located directly to the SW and across the River Boyne from the Knowth complex. It is located on the first gravel terrace above the river and while the inner three ditches seem to focus on a low topographic knoll, the outer ditch of the enclosure seems to extend a significant distance further eastwards probably cutting off the corner of this area and formally defining the space.

The site was discovered as the result of large-scale, systematic landscape survey of the Brú na Bóinne area. The first phase of the research was a fieldwalking survey and it was during this work that attention was first drawn to the potential of the Rossnaree site. At that time appeared as a large, dense scatter of worked lithics focused on a low knoll in the NE corner of a tillage field. The lithics suggested intensive activity, possibly involving residential settlement, broadly dating to the Neolithic (Brady 2007a, 2007b, 2002). Animal bone was noted on the surface of the field to the E of the knoll and in cattle scrapes in the adjacent pasture field and a human tooth was also recovered suggesting a possible parallel ceremonial function to the site (Brady 2008). The presence of a greywacke slab close to the field boundary suggests the possibility that the stone was originally a standing stone standing within the enclosure and also indicates a link with the builders of the passage tomb cemetery on the N side of the river.

Detailed topographical survey was undertaken subsequently followed by magnetic susceptibility survey on a 10 pace grid (Brady 2007a, 2007b). Further geophysical survey funded by the Heritage Council was carried out in late 2008 and included magnetic gradiometry survey, targeted earth resistance survey over the central portion of the enclosure and on the face of the gravel terrace to the N (Brady 2008, 2009a, Brady and Barton 2009. See also figure in Smyth forthcoming). Earth resistance tomography was carried out along a radial transect extending from the centre of the site to explore the vertical make-up of the central knoll and the depths of the ditches and groundpenetrating radar transects were carried out along six radial lined also radiating from the central knoll. This work was funded by Meath County Council and data are currently being processed.

This is the first site of its kind to be identified in the Brú na Bóinne area and is additionally significant as it positioned on the S side of the river Boyne. At present because of the close association of the lithic scatter, it appears that the enclosure is likely to date from the Neolithic period. Although there are some similarities to Neolithic enclosure sites identified elsewhere, e.g., the palisades at Knowth, Thornhill, Co. Derry there are no close parallels. The strategic location of the site, the presence of the animal bone in some quantity as well as the human tooth and the greywacke slab all point to a complex set of functions for this site likely to include both a residential habitation element and a more ceremonial element. Investigation of this site is a logical extension of the current research programme and potentially addresses key research questions identified in the Brú na Bóinne World Heritage Site Research Framework, in particular those looking at settlement, the scale of operation of the complex, the changing environment and the significance of the river itself.

Rath Maeve, Hill of Tara, Co. Meath
Rath Maeve and The Hill of Tara are set in the rolling pasture land of south central Meath and this may have been one of the factors which lead to its choice as the focus for ritual activity from at least as early as the Neolithic period and ultimately led to its role as royal seat and major ceremonial and ritual centre prior to the coming of Christianity (Fenwick 1997, 1). The hinterland around Tara consists of rich pasture land and would have supported a large settled population throughout the prehistoric period. While it is difficult to define the boundary or territory that would have been under the control of Tara at different stages in prehistory it is likely that this boundary was fluid and would have fluctuated over time.

The monument is a component of the Tara complex, however, Rath Maeve is archaeologically significant in its own right. It is one of a relatively small number of embanked enclosures or hengiform monuments in the country, characterised by an enclosing bank and a single monumental entrance. The greatest concentration of this class of monument is located in Co. Meath. It is likely to have functioned as a ceremonial space and these monuments are often associated with burials. Excavated examples of embanked enclosures include Monknewtown, the Grange stone circle and the pit circle at Newgrange. These have yielded examples of grooved ware and food vessel pottery, suggesting continuity of use from the Neolithic to Bronze Age (Cooney and Grogan, 1994). Rescue archaeological excavations and survey were undertaken on behalf of the National Monuments Service in 2006. The excavations revealed valuable information regarding the construction and structure of the monument.

Geophysical survey aimed at identifying features in the interior of the monument, funded by the Royal Irish Academy, is being undertaken in the autumn of 2009.

The focus of the 2010 investigations will be to assess the features identified during geophysical survey.

Other areas of research

Newgrange Lightbox Project
In partnership with RTE (Ireland National Television Broadcaster) and model makers from Dun Laoghaoire Institute of Art, Design & Technology, we attempted to reconstruct the famous lightbox at Newgrange Passage tomb in the heart of the Boyne Valley Heritage Park. The first part of the study, undertaken in the summer and broadcast on national television during Ireland’s Heritage Week, was to allow the team - with the aid of archaeoastronomer Dr Frank Prendergast - to sight in the position of the winter solstice and plan the engineering and design of the passage.

During the summer and autumn, the model makers will be busy in a warehouse in Dublin making models of the lightbox and orthostats.

The teams met again at Newgrange in the days leading up the winter solstice, constructed the model overnight, and awaited the first rays of sun coming over the horizon in the east, in hope and anticipation that the lightbox would recreate the wonder of the adjacent passage tomb. The work was aired on national television in January 2010.

Trim, Co. Meath
The medieval town of Trim, with its abbeys and the iconic King John’s castle is one of Irelands most prominent historic sites. While the castle was extensively excavated, until recently relatively little was known about the archaeology of the town. CRDS Ltd in conjunction with the Heritage Council and Meath County Council held a conference in 2008 on recent excavations. The proceedings of the conference have recently been published in a book entitled ‘Uncovering Medieval Trim’ edited by Matthew Seaver (Irish Archaeological Field School) and Dr Michael Potterton (Renowned Academic with research interests in Trim). This book revealed the Early Medieval origins of the town, evidence of the how the towns’ layout changed over time, details of lost burial grounds, religious houses, suburbs and daily life.

The Battle of the Boyne (1690)
An assessment of the site of the Williamite encampment was undertaken by CRDS on behalf of the Office of Public Works in 2002. The study was undertaken with a view to bringing forward a series of recommendations as to the management of the lands. The focus of the recommendations were twofold: to protect whatever physical remains survive and the visual amenity of those remains, their location having been deduced through interpretation of the terrain and the available documentary evidence; and to suggest means whereby the encampment, and the movements of the Williamite troops, could be presented and interpreted for the public, principally by means of storyboards, viewsheds and walking routes. The results indicated that it is possible to reconstruct with reasonable accuracy the location of the Williamite encampment.

Industrial Archaeology & Architectural Heritage
In partnership with consultants Architectural Recording and Research, our architectural heritage specialist Aislinn Collins MA PGDip DipEIAMgt MIAI undertook the National Inventory of Architectural Heritage for County Meath 2000. This survey, which includes a database record and images of each building/structure has been published as the Survey of the Architectural Heritage of County Meath (Government of Ireland 2002). Participants in the 2010 programme will have the opportunity to learn the principals and practice of architectural heritage recording.

Multiperiod, centered around excavations, but including all aspects of survey and assessment

Multiperiod
Neolithic - Rossnaree (Newgrange)
Iron Age - Rath Maeve
Medieval - Bective Abbey

The excavations are in rural settings in Co. Meath (see descriptions above or refer to our website)

Transport to and from accommodation included in fees

Monday to Friday; 9.30am - 5.00pm

n/a

Dr Matthew Stout, Lecturer in the Department of History, St. Patrick’s College, Dublin.

Dr Geraldine Stout, Archaeologist with the Archaeological Survey of Ireland and recognised authority on the Brú na Bóinne UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Dr Conor Brady MIAI, Lecturer in the Department of Humanities, Dundalk Institute of Technology, Louth and member of the Royal Irish Academy Committee for Archaeology

Finola O’Carroll MA MIAI, Senior Partner with CRDS Ltd Archaeological & Historical Consultants and Chairperson of the Institute of Archaeologists of Ireland

Matthew Seaver BSc MA MIAI, Senior Archaeologist and Management Director of CRDS

Dr Stephen Mandal MIAI EurGeol PGeo, Managing Director of CRDS and Vice-chair of the Royal Irish Academy Committee for Archaeology

Whilst archaeological excavation is the main activity of the school, there is so much more going on, and you will have the opportunity to participate in a wide range of specialist activities, many of which are included in the base programme. Some of these activities will be on-going throughout the season (such as field trips), but others may be undertaken only once or twice, depending on how the season pans out. In planning these activities, we take cognisance of the interests of our students, so be sure to state your specific interests at the time of booking.

S01 Field Trips / Tours
The programme will include weekly expert led tours of famous sites such as the Trim Castle, The Boyne Valley Heritage Centre, Mellifont Abbey, Tara, and a host of hidden gems such as Fourknocks.

S02 Archaeological Field Survey Finola O'Carroll MA MIAI
There will be a series of small group field trips during the course of the season to assess new potential archaeological and historical sites within the Boyne Valley. Always interesting, at times ground breaking, these trips are aimed at identifying the next foci of the field schools research. The trips are very popular and we whilst we try to facilitate everyone that is interested, we recommend that you book early to avoid disappointment.

S03 Technical Field Survey Chiara Chiriotti BA & Niall Lynch
The basic practices of field survey are included in the day-to-day teaching. We operate on a ‘first-principals’ basis, as it is all too easy to unquestioningly trust the technical wizardry that is increasingly available to the field archaeologist. However, we do have a lot of gadgets, and if you are interested in GPS surveying, topographical survey, photogrammetry, and other nerdy things, then we will be operating small group sessions led by our survey team in which you will learn how to operate and interpret the latest toys.

S04 Geophysical Survey Ian Elliott MA MSc
One of the most powerful tools available to the archaeologist today, we have successfully utilised a variety of archaeo-geophysical survey techniques to enhance the results of our field survey. For example, geophysical survey successfully led us to the discovery of the first structures at Bective Abbey, and last season’s geophysical survey at Rath Maeve on the Hill of Tara produced breathtaking results which will lead our further investigations. Another popular activity, we advise you to book early.

S05 Architectural Heritage Survey Aislinn Collins MA PGDip DipEIAMgt MIAI
Having been part of the team that undertook the ‘Architectural Heritage Inventory of County Meath’, architectural heritage remains an integral part of our research. There are some truly amazing architectural wonders to be seen, not least at Bective Abbey. Our resident architectural heritage expert will lead small group study sessions on site to unravel the history told in the fabric of the buildings.

S06 Geology EurGeol Dr Stephen Mandal MIAI PGeo
Underneath the archaeology, there are rocks, and the rocks have stories to tell too. From the formation of the landscape to the sourcing of specific stone types for the manufacture of tools and for building, geology has an important role to play in understanding all archaeological sites. An integral component of the research programme, small group modules will be run during the course of the season.

S07 Underwater Archaeology Aisling Collins MA
The River Boyne has been a focus of human activity from earliest prehistoric times, and is the central focus of our research programme. The archaeological potential of the river itself is hugely important. From fording points to votive deposition, the archaeological potential in the river is a fascinating study in itself.

S08 Post-Excavation & Specialist Analysis Joanne Gaffrey BA
Post-excavation processing, recording and analysis of finds and samples will be on-going throughout the field season, and you will have the opportunity to participate in these processes and learn from our post-excavation manager. We have a number of in-house specialists, including geology, pottery and osteoarchaeology, and have a panel of other specialists on board assisting us with the research programme.

S09 Computer Applications in Archaeology Chiara Chiriotti BA & Gianmarco Cattari BA
The field school has developed a range of the latest techniques for interpreting the site, including a tailor made Geographical Information Systems (GIS) tool (SPADA), 3-D modelling and Computer Generated Image (CGI) reconstructions. These applications will be on-going live throughout the season, and students will be allowed to participate in these works.

S10 Technical Terminology Gianmarco Cattari BA
Aimed at students whose first language is not English, we run a one-day specialist module introducing the project and the English language technical terminology used in archaeology. In our experience this is a hugely helpful introductory course for students, preparing them for the terms that are specific to archaeology in English speaking countries and Ireland in particular.

It never rains in Ireland!
In the unlikely event that it does, we try to work around it by re-scheduling field trips and specialist modules

A wide range of activities are available and can be organised through our accommodation provider

There will be long days (when going on field trips), and evening lectures from time to time. There will be no formal teaching at weekends.

No

An information pack is provided which lists all that the student needs to bring / prepare

Dr Stephen Mandal
Unit 4A Dundrum Business Park,
Dundrum
Dublin 14
Ireland