Home › Colleges & Schools▻College of Arts, Social Sciences, & Celtic Studies▻School of Geography & Archaeology▻Disciplines▻Archaeology▻Research

Research

Archaeological Research at NUI Galway.

Knowth PT1 eastern tomb passage

Archaeology at NUI Galway has a strong track-record in pioneering evidence-based research. Our research informs regional, national and international discourse about societies and civilisation on the island of Ireland and Atlantic Europe, it maintains currency in undergraduate and graduate teaching programmes and engages local communities in an understanding of their past. Staff and graduate students work closely together to advance themes in archaeological research.

Our research is in the following areas:

  • Human Identity and Cultural Practice:
    Generating new knowledge about culture-group identities on the island of Ireland has immediate relevance for contemporary society because interpretations of the perceptions and actions of peoples in the past can enlighten some of the central issues about human identity in our contemporary world.  This theme is investigated through the archaeological record of settlement, built heritage and material culture of Gaelic and incoming peoples from the twelfth to the seventeenth century. The complex and mutable identities of the peoples of Ireland are revealed through the study of the archaeology of Gaelic lordships and English settlements.
  • Landscape Archaeology:
    Enhanced understanding of the interaction between people and environment,from prehistoric times to modern day.
  • Material Culture, Art and Society:
    Exploring the style, pedigree and iconography of religious and decorative art in early medieval Ireland against its wider European backdrop.
  • Prehistoric Irish Societies:
    Studying the organisation and dynamics of social groups and their practices in prehistoric Ireland.
  • Public Archaeology:
    Developing professional ethics and standards through mutually accountable work with communities to research and support their heritage in Ireland and abroad.
Research Finn 3‌ ‌ Research Parknabinna Tomb‌ ‌

Research Projects A - Z

Current Graduate Student Research
 ‌Research Burren‌  Research MA in Landscape Archaeology‌

Completed Graduate Student Research

   Completed MA in Landscape Archaeology Research