The Archaeology of the Irish Sea Region, c. 1100 – c. 1500

Project Description

Figure 1: Harlech Castle

This mainly desk-based research will primarily examine the archaeological evidence for life in Western Britain and Ireland between the years 1100AD and 1500AD. However, various postgraduate theses completed at NUI, Galway, over the last number of years have clearly and consistently demonstrated that a multidisciplinary approach is essential in order for us to fully understand our common medieval past in these islands. Therefore, historical, literary and pictorial sources will also be consulted at times to illuminate and better understand the archaeological material used in the research. The ultimate aim of this project is to produce a book that will be published in 2011. It is hoped that this publication will serve as a textbook for students studying the medieval period in both Britain and Ireland.

This publication will include new research on castles and other elite residences, the Church, the countryside, towns and cities, trade and communications. An introductory section will also examine the development of medieval archaeology as a study over the last hundred years or so in the different countries and regions that make up the Irish Sea area.   It is clear that there are major differences in the way the study has evolved in Ireland, England, Wales and Scotland. A number of important questions will be asked in the research. For example, is there any coherence to the archaeology of the Irish Sea region during the period under review? Are there common threads to be seen right across the region? What role does maritime and underwater archaeology play in trying to understand contacts during this whole period? What were the major changes that took place in society across Western Britain and Ireland over the course of the four hundred years that make up the study and can these be recognised in the archaeological record? Alternatively, what elements of continuity from the early medieval period can be found in the material? Continuity or what has been termed Unchange can be difficult to recognise archaeologically and is often ignored. Difference will also be noted and explored in depth. In this respect, one major theme running through the research will be to compare and contrast the surviving archaeological evidence for the so-called mainstream Anglo-Norman / English world with the contemporary native cultures of Ireland, Scotland and Wales. For example, it would appear that Gaelic and Welsh princes and lords of the first rank often demonstrated their status in somewhat different, less archaeologically visible ways to the Normans and later English magnates. In this respect, the concept of Cultural Capital will also be discussed in the research.   

Lastly, this research will include some fieldwork in Ireland, Wales, Scotland and England. In particular, it will incorporate the findings from primary fieldwork carried out over the last few years by the present writer in north Connacht, south-west Ulster and north Leinster, along the de-facto 13 ^th-century frontier between various Gaelic princedoms and the Anglo-Norman colony. Most importantly, it will also include the results of various postgraduate theses completed at NUI, Galway, over the last few years. In conclusion, it is sincerely hoped that this project will give us an opportunity to better understand the ways neighbouring societies have developed and evolved across these islands – allowing us to appreciate and respect difference but also to identify the origins of the common threads that bind the region together today.

Contact Details

Dr Kieran O'Conor ( Profile)

Department of Archaeology,

School of Geography and Archaeology, NUI, Galway

Contact: kieran.d.oconornuigalway.ie

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