Michael Gibbons audio interview with travel radio host Stephanie Abrams
The Archeological Landscape of Ireland
Recorded 31 May 2009 - press button below to begin - press again to pause
Ireland remains archaeologically unique in Europe because it was untouched by the Romans and Saxons. As a result you will find Stone Age, Iron Age, and Bronze Age features in layers and arranged side by side (so you can literally walk from one age to the next).
The ancient world surrounds the visitor to Ireland, and many archaeological sites such as standing stones, burrens, burial grounds, and neolithic tombs remained undisturbed through the centuries because of local superstition and belief these sites were protected by magical beings.
A brief explananation is given of how to identify a neolithic or megalithic tomb, many of which exist in proximity to developed areas such as towns and hotels. These features will be apparently ageless, surrounded by free space and usually with a capstone at the entrance. Natural features such as sloping ground, mountains, and valleys will channel the light into areas of standing stones at pivotal times of the year such as the Winter Solstice.
Michael Gibbons bio
Michael Gibbons has twenty-five years of experience as an archaeologist and recently completed a five year term as a member of the Archaeology Committee of the Heritage Council. He has worked with the Department of Antiquities in Jerusalem and for the Museum of London City Excavation Programme.
He is a former co-director of the National Sites and Monuments Record Office and was responsible for developing Ireland's first remote sensing section within an archaeological office specialising in analysing vertical aerial photography. As part of this work he liaised with independent archaeological surveys which were ongoing in Kerry at the time including the North Kerry Archaeological Survey and the Iveragh Archaeological Survey.
His most recent book is Connemara: Visions of Iar Chonnacht and his current research interests include the archaeology of the intertidal zone and the pilgrimage tradition in Ireland.
web design & IT support - Computers of South Dublin ♦ site text © 2011 Mary Gibbons