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books published by departmental staff 2000 TO 2005

	Foundation Myths. The beginnings of Irish Archaeology. John Waddell. Wordwell, Bray, 2005. Pp. 286, 63 ills. Foundations Myths is an account of the beginnings and development of the study of Irish archaeology from Medieval times to the twentieth century. Political and religious divisions inevitably shaped different perceptions of the past but the enduring influence of early Irish literature is evident and ancient origin myths in particular had a noteworthy role to play. Archaeological interpretation was coloured well into the twentieth century by a persistent belief in a series of mythical invaders, in a heroic pre-Christian era peopled by fearless Celtic warriors and in a golden age of early Christian saints and scholars. The growth of Irish archaeology has been a slow and erratic process and in no way presents a neat linear progressive narrative from myth to enlightenment. As in other fields, the foundations of a scientific discipline were laid in the nineteenth century and dramatic methodological and theoretical progress made in the following century. A critical understanding of the limitations of both the written and material record and an appreciation of the preconceptions and ambiguities that lie in archaeologists’ own interpretations are even more recent developments.
	The Parish in Medieval and Early Modern Ireland; community, territory and building. Elizabeth FitzPatrick & Raymond Gillespie (eds). Four Courts Press, Dublin, 2005. Pp.352, 27 figs & 23 plates. In recent years the function of the parish in the medieval period has been significantly re-evaluated, and in the modern world too its political and religious role is now understood to transcend the divisions of reformation and counter-reformation. The Group for the Study of Irish Historical Settlement recently organised a conference that brought together some of Ireland's leading geographers, ecclesiastical historians, settlement historians and archaeologists to capture something of the complexity of the parish. This important book is the result of that endeavour and will be of interest to all those concerned with the Irish past.
	The Cultural and Environmental Impact of Large Dams in Southeast Turkey. Ronayne, M. National University of Ireland, Galway / Kurdish Human Rights Project. 2005. Pp162, Softback ISBN 1 900175 80 0. Book Sales
	Royal Inauguration in Gaelic Ireland c.1100-1600: a cultural landscape study. Elizabeth FitzPatrick. Boydell and Brewer Ltd. Woodbridge. 2004. Pp294l, Hardback ISBN 1 84383 090 6. 27 figures, 57 plates.
	Ross Island: Mining, Metal and Society in Early Ireland. William O'Brien. Bronze Age Studies 6. Department of Archaeology, National University of Ireland, Galway. 2004. Pp768, Hardback ISBN 0 9535620 3 X. 259 figures, 120 plates, 90 tables.
	Native Evidence of Non-ferrous Metalwork in Early Historic Ireland. Michelle Comber. BAR International Series 1296. Oxford. 2004. Pp233, Softback ISBN 1 84171 380 5, 187 figures, 10 tables.
	The Burren and the Aran Islands: Exploring the Archaeology. Carleton Jones. Collins Press, Cork. 2004. Pp268, Hardback ISBN I-903464-61-7, Softback ISBN I-903464-49-8. 240 illustrations (lavish use of colour)
	Archaeological Investigations in Galway City, 1987-1998. Elizabeth FitzPatrick, Madeline O'Brien and Paul Walsh (eds.) Wordwell 2004. ISBN 1 869857 76 3 Hardback, 706 pages. This book presents the results of 79 licensed investigations conducted over twelve years on sites associated with the historical town walls and fortifications and at locations both within and outside the walls of Galway. It is laid out in ten parts, consisting of the background to the project, contributors' reports on licensed archaeological excavations, surveys, monitoring and trial-trenching, and specialist reports on the finds and human, faunal and environmental remains. An overview of the archaeology uncovered during the investigations is also presented in a series of discussions by the editors on the town walls and fortifications, the buildings and architecture and the finds. This publication is the result of a vast collaborative effort, and the large volume of data presented will serve as a rich source of information on over 600 years of Galway's past, for the scholar and the general public alike.
	Lost and Found: discovering Ireland's past J. Fenwick (ed.). Wordwell, Bray, 2003. Pp349, Hardback ISBN 1 86985768 2, Softback ISBN 1 869857 58 5, 58 figures, 92 plates, Hardback and Softback. A popular book containing a diverse anthology of 31 essays, short stories and personal insights into the world of Irish Archaeology. Through examples of 'discoveries', big or small, each essay illuminates some darkened detail of the distant past and also intimates something of the personalities of the authors.
	The Medieval Castle in Ireland and Wales. J. R. Kenyon and K. O'Conor (eds). Four Courts Press, Dublin, 2003. Pp 261, ISBN 1-85182-726-9. Hardback.
	The Ilisu Dam: Displacement of Communities and the Destruction of Culture. Maggie Ronayne. Kurdish Human Rights Project, 2002. Pp211, ISBN 1 900175 52 5. Softback. Book Sales
	Gaelic Ireland c.1250 - c.1650: Land, Lordship and Settlement. P.J.Duffy, D. Edwards and E. FitzPatrick (eds). Four Courts Press, Dublin, 2001. Pp454, ISBN 1-851182-547-9. Hardback. A pioneering collection of eighteen essays that explore several aspects of the natural and cultural landscapes of Gaelic lordships. Using a wide variety of sources the authors reveal the later medieval period to have been a time of profound and complex change. A comprehensive introduction by the editors raises the issue of the neglect of scholarly investigations into later medieval Gaelic society, and offers some pointers for future research programmes in this area.
	Crossing the Rubicon: Bronze Age Metalwork from Irish Rivers. Lorraine Bourke, Bronze Age Studies 5, Department of Archaeology, NUI, Galway, 2001. Pp270, 99 line drawings, 35 plates. ISBN 0 9535620 2 X. Softback. This publication investigates Bronze Age metalwork from Irish rivers, focusing specifically on those rivers that have yielded significant concentrations of metalwork over the course of the past tow centuries, namely the Lower Bann, the Ulster Blackwater, the Erne, the Shannon and the Barrow. The history of recovery of these artifacts is charted, from the pioneering efforts of W.T. Mulvany during the dredging operations of the nineteenth century through to the adoption of underwater surveys and the use of metal-detectors in more recent times. The book incorporates a detailed catalogue of the relevant Bronze Age material, and changes in the distribution and composition of the metalwork from each of the rivers over time is identified. An inventory of Iron Age metalwork form these rivers is also provided and this material is discussed to determine whether these depositional patterns changed with the end of the Bronze Age. Book Sales
	The Prehistoric Archaeology of Ireland. John Waddell. Wordwell 2000. Pp 433, 184 figs. Softback. A comprehensive account of Irish prehistory from the Mesolithic to the Later Iron Age, this is a standard textbook for all students of Irish prehistory.

Archaeology Department Books
1990-1999	2000-2005	2006 to date

Department of Archaeology
National University of Ireland, Galway,
University Road, Galway, Ireland.
Phone: +353 (0) 91 492167 , Fax: +353 (0) 91 525700, E-mail Archaeology
This page was last updated Monday, January 17, 2011