Abstract
This paper looks at a range of not-for-profit community archaeology projects in Ireland. The period since the economic crisis of 2008 has been a challenging period for the Irish archaeological profession. Typically, archaeological practice has a three-point relationship between the developer, the regulator in the form of government and the professional archaeologist, whether as practitioner or private company. Since the economic crisis, there has been a growing interest in community involvement in archaeological heritage projects. This paper sets out a number of case studies and employs a framework to examine the relationship between professionals and energetic communities. This finds that there are emerging patterns which offer opportunities for the care and management of monuments and which can also generate knowledge. This intersection of archaeological knowledge, community energy and a sense of place is, if done in a sustainable manner and with respect for all involved, a powerful means by which archaeology can contribute to society.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Notes
- 1.
From Seamus Heaney ‘A Sense of Place ’ in Preoccupation: Selected Prose 1968–1978.
- 2.
http://www.discoverireland.ie/activities-adventure/rinn-duin-castle-loop/83648 accessed 22nd March 2016.
References
Barry, T. B. (1987). The archaeology of medieval Ireland. London: Routledge.
Brockbank, W. (1999). If HR were really strategically proactive: Present and future directions in HR’s contribution to competitive advantage. Human Resource Management, 38(4), 337–352.
Butler, H. (1985). Escape from the anthill. Dublin: Lilliput Press.
Cleary, K., & McCullagh, N. (2014). Discovering the archaeologists of Ireland 2012–2014. Dublin: Institute of Archaeologists of Ireland.
Cody, E. (2009). Listing archaeological sites, protecting the historical landscape. The situation in the Republic of Ireland. In P. A. C. Schut (Ed.), Listing archaeological sites, protecting the historical landscape, EAC occasional paper (Vol. 3, pp. 63–70). Brussels: Europae Archaeologiae Consilium.
Duffy, P. (2014). Grassroots archaeology: An experiment in monument resurrection and suburban identity in north Dublin. Journal of Community Archaeology and Heritage, 1(3), 193–209.
ESRI. (2013). Medium-term review 2013–2020. Number 12, Dublin.
Flynn, J., & Grennan, T. (2016). What does the Kilmokea enclosure enclose? In I. W. Doyle & B. Browne (Eds.), Medieval Wexford: Essays in memory of Billy Colfer (pp. 62–72). Dublin: Four Courts Press.
H2020 Expert Group. (2014). Draft discussion paper prepared by the H2020 Expert group in Cultural Heritage in view of the Towards a new EU agenda for Cultural Heritage Research and Innovation workshop. 27th Nov 2014.
Heaney, S. (1980). The sense of place. In S. Heaney (Ed.), Preoccupations: Selected prose 1968–78 (pp. 131–149). London: Faber & Faber.
Horning, A., & Brannon, N. (2012). Irish archaeology 25 years on: Upwards, downwards and onwards. Archaeology Ireland, 26(2), 11–14.
Hudson, J., & James, P. (2007). The changing framework for the conservation of the historic environment. Structural Survey, 25(3/4), 253–264.
Isherwood, R. (2011). Community archaeology: Conceptual and political issues. In G. Moshenska & S. Dhanjal (Eds.), Community archaeology: Themes methods and practices (pp. 6–17). Oxford: Oxbow Publishing.
Kador, T. (2014). Public and community archaeology – An Irish perspective. In S. Thomas & J. Lea (Eds.), Public participation in archaeology (pp. 35–48). Woodbridge: Boydell Press.
Marshall, Y. (2002). What is community archaeology? World Archaeology, 34(2), 211–219.
Marshall, S., & McMorran, T. (2016). People and places: A bird’s eye view on medieval Old Ross. In I. W. Doyle & B. Browne (Eds.), Medieval Wexford: Essays in memory of Billy Colfer (pp. 241–261). Dublin: Four Courts Press.
McDermott, C., & La Piscopia, P. (2008). Discovering the archaeologists of Europe: Ireland. Dublin: Institute of Archaeologists of Ireland.
Selman, P. (2004). Community participation in the planning and management of cultural landscapes. Journal of Environmental Planning and Management, 47(3), 365–392.
Smith, L. (2006). The uses of heritage. London/New York: Routledge.
Willems, W. J. H. (2014). The future of world heritage and the emergence of transnational heritage regimes. Heritage & Society, 7(2), 105–120.
Acknowledgements
The writer would like to thank the community groups, individuals and professionals who have helped to make each of these projects so interesting. The assistance of the Discovery Programme in preparing Fig. 4.2 is gratefully acknowledged, and thanks are due to Paul Duffy, Thomas Kador and the peer reviewer for their comments. This paper developed out of a session at the European Association of Archaeologists annual conference in Istanbul 2014, and I would like to thank the editor for his work in convening the session and bringing the papers to press.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2018 The Author(s)
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Doyle, I.W. (2018). Community Archaeology in Ireland: Less Mitigator, More Mediator?. In: Apaydin, V. (eds) Shared Knowledge, Shared Power. SpringerBriefs in Archaeology. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-68652-3_4
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-68652-3_4
Published:
Publisher Name: Springer, Cham
Print ISBN: 978-3-319-68651-6
Online ISBN: 978-3-319-68652-3
eBook Packages: Social SciencesSocial Sciences (R0)