Achill Archaeological Field School: Co. Mayo - Direct Enrollment & Exchange

Achill Archaeological Field School welcomes international archaeology students from all over the world! Our students come to experience Irish archaeology in a beautiful island landscape off the west coast of Ireland and participate in archaeological excavations and survey projects under the supervision of highly experienced archaeologists and environmental scientists.  At the Achill Archaeological Field School, we offer a wide range of courses during our field season which runs from May to September and each course is offered at least twice in order to give as many people as possible a chance to participate. 

In 2017 we will run two excavations. In the first half of the summer, May and June, we will excavate at the pre-Famine village of Keem on the western most tip of the island. Circa 1838 the village had 40 houses, but by the end of the 1850s it was abandoned and demolished. The excavation seeks to explore life and material culture in pre-Famine Keem. During the second half of the summer in July and August we will return to the 'Cromlech Tumulus', a Middle Bronze Age house on the slopes of Slievemore Mountain on Achill Island. The building consists of several very large stone structures and foundations connected via a pre-bog field wall to a nearby Neolithic Court Tomb. Originally recorded in the nineteenth century this particular site was the subject of considerable debate throughout the twentieth century.

For up to date information about this excavation please see the Interactive Digs page on the AIA Website (https://www.archaeological.org/interactivedigs/achillislandireland) and/or join our Facebook Page where we post all the latest news and photos: https://www.facebook.com/groups/120122094688375/