The archaeology of Humbert's 1798 campaign in the West of Ireland

‌My research, funded by the Galway Doctoral Scholarship, focuses on the archaeological investigation and mapping of battlefield landscapes, specifically, General Humbert’s campaign as part of the 1798 Rebellion. Using techniques and approaches developed by conflict archaeologists in battlefield projects, I will provide new information about this episode of the Rebellion by studying each individual battle site, as well as all aspects of the campaign, linking the battles as one military movement within the wider landscape. This is a re-evaluation of the way in which battlefields are studied, suggesting we can potentially learn more about these military landscapes through the study of them as connected and complex sites rather than as isolated battlefields. In achieving these aims, I will be able to gain a considerable amount of knowledge on the physical aspects of these battlefields along with the cultural and mental landscapes of the two opposing parties within this conflict through a phenomenological lens. This new approach may be able to help us further understand these sites, the people involved, and the overarching conflicts they were a part of in history. 

Kylie Crowder
Galway Doctoral Research Scholar
Supervisor: Dr Kieran O'Conor

Kylie Crowder surveying with level and staff in the Burren of Co. Clare.