October 25, 2018
by Erin Kislan
I am sad to say this was my final week of my internship. This week the weather was much cooler and cloudy – finally some nice Irish weather!
Ashely continued her surveying this week. She surveying the site for any subsurface features such as walls or ditches. We have yet to receive any post-processing results on site, she indicated that there were some features found – more updates to come! Meanwhile, I began creating a tapestry for this summer’s archaeological dig, which was comprised of all aspects of the excavation.
On Thursday, we had a medieval feast to celebrate the end of the field school. It was complicated to plan but was worth it in the end! Some students participated in an ethical hunting workshop and then skinned and butchered rabbits to be cooked in a Bronze Age fulacht fiadh and over an open fire. Other students prepared vegetable stew, salads, potatoes and desserts, all without the use of modern technology. The final group, the prep team, set up decorations, and made Viking goblets and props for a photo booth. It was a fun day and a great way to end the summer season. After the feast, some students even stayed the night in the Heritage Park’s replica ringfort!
Friday was the last day for this group of students and for the dig as a whole. We finished excavating and recording the site, covered the site with sandbags to ensure its safety, floated soil samples, and packed up the office to prepare for our move to the Birr office on Sunday.
This was my last week with the IAFS and I am now off to another field school in Spain! It has been a great summer so far and a great two months in Wexford. Thank you to all of the INHP staff, as well as Denis and Richard for a wonderful experience. Until next time!
