Ireland: Sligo Excavation (IFR)

Location: green fort, sligo, ireland

Season: May 18, 2025 to June 20, 2025

Session Dates: 2 sessions in 2025 S1, 5 weeks: May 18-June 20 S2, 3 weeks: June 1-June 20

Application Deadline: February 1, 2025

Deadline Type: Rolling

Website: https://ifrglobal.org/program/ireland-sligo-excavation/

Program Type:
Field School

RPA Certified:
No

Affiliation:
Institute for Field Research (IFR), CERIS, Faculty of Science, Atlantic Technological University

Project Director:
Dr. Fiona Beglane

Project Description:

Help break ground on the first year of excavations of The Green Fort, a ‘star-shaped’ military fort likely constructed in 1599 on the site of an early medieval ringfort overlooking Sligo Town in northwest Ireland. Your research will help answer questions about the monument to discover its origin, military history, and other uses by its inhabitants, and you’ll contribute to the future preservation, protection, and presentation of this monument to the local community and visitors. Delve deeper into Irish archaeology, culture, society, and hospitality through field trips and evening activities, sure to leave a lifelong impression on you.

Field school highlights:

• Witness the start of a dig as you help hand-excavate, sieve, collect samples, and make recordings that will be used for 3-D models, continuing excavation, and official reports of an ongoing public project.
• Gain experience in an archaeological laboratory processing artefacts and samples.
• Get a head start with online lectures to grasp the theoretical concepts before you arrive on-site, ready to dig in.
• Create international connections and friendships as you work closely with the community, alongside local volunteers and Irish students.

Period(s) of Occupation: medieval

Project Size: 1-24 participants

Minimum Length of Stay for Volunteers: Students are expected to stay the full length of the program, either 3 or 5 weeks.

Minimum Age: 18

Experience Required: None

Room and Board Arrangements:
Students will be housed in holiday homes or student accommodations in single rooms close to the University and the excavation site. There will be access to laundry facilities. Food is not provided, however all the accommodations have fully equipped kitchens and are convenient to local stores. Students will need to prepare breakfast and evening meals within their households, and will need to prepare and bring their own packed lunch to the site daily during the excavation. For the post-excavation week, students may bring a packed lunch or use the University canteen facilities. Vegetarian, vegan, lactose-free and gluten-free meals are widely available and will be offered as necessary at communal meals. Religion-based diets such as kosher and halal meals may be difficult to accommodate in this relatively small town.