"This summer, I had the amazing opportunity to attend the Irish Heritage School’s geoarchaeology field school based in Birr, Ireland, where we explored how the geology and botany of Ireland have been influenced by humans (and vice-versa) throughout Irish history. The reason I signed up for this field school in particular is because, as an undergraduate student studying general anthropology, I always felt that archaeology was the most challenging branch of my discipline for me. I wanted to get out of my biocultural comfort zone and immerse myself in a hands-on archaeology experience to broaden my knowledge in the discipline.
The Birr geoarchaeology field school was both extremely informative and incredibly fun - with every class being an adventure into the beautiful green wilderness of Ireland or the tragically beautiful ruins of her history. While we spent most of our time exploring the geologically rich surroundings of County Offaly, we took various excursions to other parts of Ireland - the gorgeously stoney and complex Burren, the breathtakingly beautiful Aran Islands, and the historic Ferns being my absolute favorite stops. I was enamored by Ireland, and constantly fascinated by her history, culture and natural beauty.
Attending this field school was the best decision I’ve made in my academic career. Apart from earning valuable experience in conducting and interpreting geoarchaeological field work, this field school has given me a newfound love for archaeology which has inspired me to continue pursuing this discipline in my future graduate studies - as well as a curiosity for geology and botany and how knowledge of both can help archaeologists better understand the people of the past. I can attribute this newfound love and curiosity to Professor Stephen Mandal’s patient, interactive, and holistic approach to teaching amateur archaeologists such as myself about how to uncover and record the mysteries of the geology and archaeology of the Emerald Isle. I am incredibly grateful to him, to the Irish Heritage School and to the IFR for this life changing experience. - Anna Jones"
Find out more: iafs.ie/