Details of 2024 courses available at Achill Archaeological Field School have been revealed, and applications are now open!
For 2024 we will be hosting a two-week accredited course on Archaeological Field Studies, offering 3 Semester Credits (6 ECTS credits) to undergraduate and graduate students. We also have a four-week course offering the same Archaeological Field Studies module along with a Data Analysis module, providing a combined total of 6 Semester Credits (12 ECTS credits). And our six-week course includes the Archaeological Field Studies and Data Analysis modules plus ‘An Introduction to the Archaeology of Ireland’, offering a total of 9 Semester Credits (18 ECTS credits).
View 2024 Accredited Courses in Archaeology
Along with tuition and field work associated with these modules, we offer optional day trips to significant sites of archaeological interest, and an evening lecture series with guest speakers offering a range of expertise and insight into various aspects of archaeology in Ireland.
For anyone interested in archaeology we have a one-week Introduction to Archaeology course running from the 5th – 9th August, while for experienced students looking to make a career in archaeological fieldwork we offer a very popular Trainee Supervisor course that runs the full eight weeks of our 2024 season.
For 2024 the focus of our fieldwork with be excavations of two drystone dwellings and a shell midden at Caraun Point on the northern coast of Achill. Previous investigations in 2018 and 2019 recovered a quantity of artefacts that included glass and pottery, along with animal bone and shellfish remains. Analysis of these objects give us an insight into the livelihood and diet of the people who lived here. One unexpected discovery was the presence of a probable Early-Medieval ringfort immediately to the west of our excavation. Habitation deposits associated with this site were evident beneath the post-medieval houses and some artefacts of 8th to 10th century date were recovered. The 2024 dig will seek to build on these discoveries and improve our understanding of this site, which is under threat from coastal erosion.
Read more about Caruan Point Archaeological Dig Site
