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The Irish Heritage School @irishheritage.bsky.social · 16h

Monday Mischief - if you sign up for one of our 2026 programs, be warned it is all serious work with no fun had whatsoever.

The Irish Heritage School @irishheritage.bsky.social · 4d

Thursday Throwback - tune in at this time and bat channel every Thursday for a look back at what we have been working on this year.

Environmental Science - we welcomed Fort Hays KAMS program for a super study tour of the landscapes of Ireland. We are very grateful for our fabulous faculty partners.

The Irish Heritage School @irishheritage.bsky.social · 11d

Thursday Throwback - tune in at this time and bat channel every Thursday for a look back at what we have been working on this year.

Forensic anthropology - an intensive 1 week forensics course, run in partnership with NUI Maynooth (worth 7.5 ECTS), led by team osteoarchaeologist, Dr Anna Diana.

The Irish Heritage School @irishheritage.bsky.social · 18d

Thursday Throwback - tune in at this time and bat channel every Thursday for a look back at what we have been working on this year.

Experimental Archaeology - Prof Brendan O'Neill of UCD Centre for Experimental Archaeology provides one of our most popular modules. Everyone learns by making!

The Irish Heritage School @irishheritage.bsky.social · 25d

Thursday Throwback - tune in at this time and bat channel every Thursday for a look back at what we have been working on this year.

Survey: accurately record upstanding archaeological remains, aiding research and conservation is a key skill, led by everyone's favourite grump, Richard Reid.

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The Irish Heritage School @irishheritage.bsky.social · Sep 25

Thursday Throwback - tune in at this time and bat channel every Thursday for a look back at what we have been working on this year.

Photogrammetry: resident expert Dan O'Meara leads our photogrammetry workshops. Students contribute to on-going research and conservation whilst learning new skills.

The Irish Heritage School @irishheritage.bsky.social · Sep 22

It's the people that make a tour and we enjoyed the company of a great group on this year's Archaeological Institute of America tour.

The Irish Heritage School @irishheritage.bsky.social · Sep 20

A morning with our guide Tom on the Falls and Shankill roads gave us a sense of what communities went through in the troubles, showed how far we have come, but also how fragile the peace is, 27 years on from the Good Friday Agreement. We all signed the Peace Wall - in the hope for a brighter future.

The Irish Heritage School @irishheritage.bsky.social · Sep 19

Where would I (Steve) be without my wife Debbie's help and patience on tour with the Archaeological Institute of America? She somehow kept the carriages on the track throughout, no matter what debris we rumbled over!
*lildebbiecupcakes

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The Irish Heritage School @irishheritage.bsky.social · Sep 18

Thursday Throwback - tune in at this time and bat channel every Thursday for a look back at what we have been working on this year.

Geology and the landscape: Understanding how the landscape formed, how it shaped human settlement and was impacted by humans is 101 for heritage studies.

The Irish Heritage School @irishheritage.bsky.social · Sep 17

A huge thank you to our wonderful guest experts for our Archaeological Institute of America tour.
Dr Fiona Beglane - Green Fort
Sam Moore - Sligo
Gerry Lynne - Derry
Dr John O'Keefe - Carrickfergus
Ye were the making of the tour!

The Irish Heritage School @irishheritage.bsky.social · Sep 16

Exhausted after a long tour with the Archaeological Institute of America - but it was a great tour with intrepid travel companions. Next year we are doing a Pre-history tour of Ireland, from hunter gatherers to first farmers to the first metals to kingship and sacrifice. We'll keep you posted.

The Irish Heritage School @irishheritage.bsky.social · Sep 13

The Giant's Causeway was at its dramatic best for our visit. Spectacular columnar basalts formed when the Ireland was at the epicenter of the opening of the northern Atlantic Ocean. It was of course really made by he legendary leader of the Fianna, Fionn Mac Cumhaill!

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The Irish Heritage School @irishheritage.bsky.social · Sep 13

Dunluce Castle, a dramatic ruin on Northern Ireland’s Antrim coast, dates back to the 14th century. Once owned by the MacQuillans and later the MacDonnells, it witnessed shipwrecks, treasure, and destruction. A storm in 1639 led to its abandonment.

The Irish Heritage School @irishheritage.bsky.social · Sep 12

The Guildhall is a remarkable building with a fascinating history. Our Archaeological Institute of America tour enjoyed a super visit, guided by the lovely Siobhan.

The Irish Heritage School @irishheritage.bsky.social · Sep 12

The murals of the Bogside in Derry and an important part of the story of the city, of Northern Ireland and Ireland. For centuries, Catholics were second class citizens, and then they sought change through peaceful protest they were gunned down on Bloody Sunday.

The Irish Heritage School @irishheritage.bsky.social · Sep 12

If you want to understand Irish, UK, European and indeed western world history, then the historic walled city of Derry is a must visit.

Our Archaeological Institute of America tour participants were enthralled by the knowledge, story telling and wit of our guide, my friend Gerry (from Derry!).

The Irish Heritage School @irishheritage.bsky.social · Sep 11

Our final visit of a long smorgasbord of a day touring with the Archaeological Institute of America was Grianan of AIleach, the Early Christian ringfort sited at 801 feet with spectacular views across Donegal and Derry.

The Irish Heritage School @irishheritage.bsky.social · Sep 11

Thursday Throwback - tune in at this time and bat channel every Thursday for a look back at what we have been working on this year.

Excavation: we have moved away from large scale excavations towards a more holistic approach. Excavation still has its place and our work at Clonghil has been great.

The Irish Heritage School @irishheritage.bsky.social · Sep 10

Beltany Stone Circle is a hidden gem. It looks and feels like a Bronze Age Stone circle (a huge one), but the interior is very uneven and local lore tells of the removal of huge quantities of stone (and bone) from the interior, leading scholars to surmise that it may have been a passage tomb.

The Irish Heritage School @irishheritage.bsky.social · Sep 10

Donegal Castle was built as the fortified residence of Red Hugh O’Donnell in the 15th century. After victory in the nine years war, English captain Sir Basil Brooke built a handsome manor house beside the tower. It is a wonderful visit and our guide Mark was superb.

The Irish Heritage School @irishheritage.bsky.social · Sep 10

Creeveykeel court tomb is probably the finest preserved of its kind in Ireland. It was excavated by Henken as part of the Harvard Expedition (90 years ago). Long after is was a Neolithic tomb and place of ceremony, it was reused as a dwelling place and for iron smelting in the Early Christian times.

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The Irish Heritage School @irishheritage.bsky.social · Sep 10

A monastery was founded by St Columba at Drumcliff in 575 AD. The base of a round tower and high cross are remnants of the Early Christian past. Of course the place is most famous as the resting place of W B Yeats under Benbulben's sky.... horseman pass by...

The Irish Heritage School @irishheritage.bsky.social · Sep 10

Another super day on our Archaeological Institute of America tour. Today we enjoyed the company and expertise of prehistorian Sam Moore, who brought us to a passage tomb in a roundabout at Abbeyquarter, Tobernault Holy Well, Strandhill shell middens, and the Carrowmore Megalithic tomb complex.

The Irish Heritage School @irishheritage.bsky.social · Sep 7

Ballintober Abbey, Co. Mayo is a stunning and historic site. Along the pagan pilgrimage route from Rathcroghan to Croagh Patrick, the first church dated to 441 AD, and this has been a continuous place of prayer and devotion since. Corley's bar across the road is super!