A project to summarize all post-medieval sites excavated in Ireland from 1970 onwards was conceived by the IPMAG as part of it's mission to promote and disseminate information on post-medieval archaeology in Ireland.
Like the bibliography project, the development and visibility of the discipline soon surpassed the ability of our members to keep it updated. Consequently the data in this archive relate to the period 1970 - 2005 when over 20,500 archaeological excavations were carried out in Ireland (Figure 1). Short summaries or bulletins for each excavation are compiled and edited by Isabel Bennett and published by Wordwell Books [http://www.wordwellbooks.com/]. In addition, these summaries are available on-line in a database [www.excavations.ie] which has been subject to updates by Isabel Bennett.
Download Excavations Database 1970 - 2005
Richard Clutterbuck, for the Irish Post-Medieval Archaeology Group, has compiled a list of excavation bulletins from 1970 to 2005 describing post-medieval archaeology. This database consists of 3717 bulletins or 18% of all excavations between 1970 and 2005 (Figure 2). It is available to download as an excel spreadsheet.
Figure 2: Plot of excavations bulletins reporting post-medieval archaeology, 1970 – 2005.
This spreadsheet was compiled from excavations.ie by searching for a number of terms (Table 1).
Table 1: Terms relevant to Post-medieval Archaeology used to search the Excavations Bulletins 1970—2005.
The excel file consists of twenty three fields (Table 2).
Table 2: List of fields
Please consider the following when using this dataset:
- This dataset was derived by simple key-word searches in the excavations.ie database. As such many of these bulletins describe prehistoric or medieval site excavations, and may only mention post-medieval material, for example the excavation summary for a prehistoric site in Dunboyne [2005:AD10] mentions a ‘modern quarry’. The researcher may decide if these entries are relevant to their research.
- The coordinates for the excavations bulletins given in the excavations bulletins vary greatly in accuracy, with many given as general coordinates for towns, a street or local area in Irish Grid as a grid letters and two or three digit easting and northing coordinates. For example, the coordinate for the bulletin 1975:0002, Carrickfergus, was given as J 413 874. For this dataset each bulletin coordinate was established in Irish Grid [EPSG: 29902] to six digits easting and north. These were then converted into Irish Transverse Mercator [EPSG: 2157]. The Irish Grid coordinates for bulletin 1975:0002 are 341300, 387400; the ITM coordinate is 741221, 887393. The resulting bulletin coordinates are for the most part (82% of all entries) only approximate. Researchers need to be aware that the coordinates provided in this dataset may be inaccurate.
- This spreadsheet is designed to aid research in Irish post-medieval archaeology. IPMAG would recommend that researchers also consult the original published excavations bulletins, which may also contain site photographs and plans, and the excavations.ie database. In addition, details of excavations on road schemes in the Republic of Ireland may be found on the National Roads Authority archaeological database [http://www.nra.ie/archaeology/nra-archaeological-database/].
IPMAG would like to thank Wordwell Press and Isabel Bennett for permission to produce this dataset. Copyright for the database resides with Wordwell Ltd in association with the Department of Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht and the Department of the Environment, Northern Ireland, and for the individual reports with the authors.
Excavations Bulletins:
Delaney, T.G. ed. 1970. Excavations 1969. Unpublished.
Delaney, T.G. ed. 1971. Excavations, 1970. Belfast: Association of Young Irish Archaeologists.
Delaney, T.G. ed. 1972. Excavations 1971. Belfast: Association of Young Irish Archaeologists.
Delaney, T.G. ed. 1973. Excavations 1972: Summary Accounts of Archaeological Work in Ireland. Belfast: Association of Young Irish Archaeologists.
Delaney, T.G. ed. 1974. Excavations 1973: Summary Accounts of Archaeological Work in Ireland. Belfast: Association of Young Irish Archaeologists.
Delaney, T.G. ed. 1975. Excavations 1974: Summary Accounts of Archaeological Work in Ireland. Belfast: Association of Young Irish Archaeologists.
Delaney, T.G. 1977. Excavations 1975-76. Belfast: Association of Young Irish Archaeologists. Belfast: Association of Young Irish Archaeologists.
Anon. 1987. Excavations bulletin 1977-1979: summary account of archaeological excavations in Ireland. The Journal of Irish Archaeology 4: p.65–79.
Manning, C., & Hurl, D. 1989. Excavations bulletin 1980-1984: summary account of archaeological excavations in Ireland. The Journal of Irish Archaeology 5: p.65–80.
Cotter, C. ed. 1986. Excavations 1985: Summary Accounts of Archaeological Excavations in Ireland. Dublin: Irish Academic Publications.
Cotter, C. ed. 1987. Excavations 1986: Summary Accounts of Archaeological Excavations in Ireland. Dublin: Irish Academic Press.
Bennett, I. ed. 1988. Excavations 1987: Summary of Archaeological Excavations in Ireland. Dublin: Wordwell.
Bennett, I. ed. 1989. Excavations 1988: Summary of Archaeological Excavations in Ireland. Dublin: Wordwell.
Bennett, I. ed. 1990. Excavations 1989: Summary Accounts of Archaeological Excavations in Ireland. Dublin: Wordwell.
Bennett, I. ed. 1991. Excavations 1990: Summary Accounts of Archaeological Excavations in Ireland. Dublin: Wordwell.
Bennett, I. ed. 1992. Excavations 1991: Summary Accounts of Archaeological Excavations in Ireland. Dublin: Wordwell.
Bennett, I. ed. 1993. Excavations 1992: Summary Accounts of Archaeological Excavations in Ireland. Bray: Wordwell.
Bennett, I. ed. 1994. Excavations 1993: Summary Accounts of Archaeological Excavations in Ireland. Bray: Wordwell.
Bennett, I. ed. 1995. Excavations 1994: Summary Accounts of Archaeological Excavations in Ireland. Dublin: Wordwell.
Bennett, I. ed. 1996. Excavations 1995: Summary Accounts of Archaeological Excavations in Ireland. Bray: Wordwell Ltd.
Bennett, I. ed. 1997. Excavations 1996: Summary Accounts of Archaeological Excavations in Ireland. Bray: Wordwell.
Bennett, I. ed. 1998. Excavations 1997: Summary Accounts of Archaeological Excavations in Ireland. Bray: Wordwell.
Bennett, I. ed. 2000a. Excavations 1998: Summary Accounts of Archaeological Excavations in Ireland. Bray: Wordwell.
Bennett, I. ed. 2000b. Excavations 1999: Summary Accounts of Archaeological Excavations in Ireland. Bray: Wordwell Ltd.
Bennett, I. ed. 2002. Excavations 2000: Summary Accounts of Archaeological Excavations in Ireland. Bray: Wordwell.
Bennett, I. ed. 2003. Excavations 2001: Summary Accounts of Archaeological Excavations in Ireland. Bray: Wordwell.
Bennett, I. 2004. Excavations 2002: Summary accounts of archaeological excavations in Ireland. Bray, : Wordwell.
Bennett, I. ed. 2006. Excavations 2003: Summary Accounts of Archaeological Excavations in Ireland. Bray: Wordwell.
Bennett, I. ed. 2007. Excavations 2004: Summary Accounts of Archaeological Excavations in Ireland. Bray: Wordwell.
Bennett, I. ed. 2008. Excavations 2005: Summary Accounts of Archaeological Excavations in Ireland. Dublin: Wordwell.
Bennett, I. ed. 2009. Excavations 2006: Summary Accounts of Archaeological Excavations in Ireland. Dublin: Wordwell.
Bennett, I. ed. 2010. Excavations 2007: Summary Accounts of Archaeological Excavations in Ireland. Dublin: Wordwell.
Bennett, I. ed. 2011. Excavations 2008: Summary Accounts of Archaeological Excavations in Ireland. Dublin: Wordwell.
Bennett, I. ed. 2012. Excavations 2009 : Summary Accounts of Archaeological Excavations in Ireland. Dublin: Wordwell.
Bennett, I. ed. 2013. Excavations 2010: Summary Accounts of Archaeological Excavations in Ireland. Dublin: Wordwell.