Posted: 31 May 2006
UCD report calls for repositioning of Irish Archaeology by 2020 to address critical issues
The current development-led boom has fundamentally changed Irish archaeology. Today, virtually all archaeological excavations are undertaken in response to infra-structural and other developments, whereas before the boom they were dominated by research concerns.
Pictured at the official launch of Archaeology 2020 at the Royal Irish
Academy: Professor Gabriel Cooney (left), UCD School of Archaeology and
Mr Dick Roche TD, Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local
Government
Recent estimates point to the discovery, on average, of a previously unrecorded site every two kilometres on infrastructural routes. Over 2,000 archaeological excavations, of varying scale and complexity, are now being carried out each year.
The archaeological profession has coped well with the unprecedented demand, but the structures are experiencing extreme pressure.
Pictured at the official launch of Archaeological 2020 at the Royal Irish Academy;
Dr Muiris O'Sullivan, Head of UCD School of Archaeology; Dr Liam Downey, UCD School of Archaeology; Professor Gabriel Cooney, UCD School of Archaeology; Mr Dick Roche, TD, Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government; Professor Jim Slevin, President, RIA and Professor Desmond Fitzgerald, Vice-President for Research, UCD
'Legislation requires developers to engage archaeologists to undertake pre-construction excavations' Professor Gabriel Cooney, UCD School of Archaeology says, 'But the problem is that in many cases the archaeologists are not given the time or financial support to publish excavation reports. Add to that the lack of storage and exhibition space and consequently the economic and social value of the investment in the archaeology is lost.'
A Foresight Report titled Archaeology 2020: Repositioning Irish
Archaeology in the Knowledge Society published on 30 May 2006 by the
UCD School of Archaeology addresses the issues and sets out proposals
to rectify the haemorrhage.
The mounting backlog of unpublished excavations is in many respects the
most disconcerting feature of present-day archaeology in Ireland. And
although this may not be a new issue, it has become an intractable
problem over the last decade. The number of unpublished excavations may
now be as many as 4,000 for the island as a whole.
The problem of unpublished excavation reports is further compounded by
a growing concern about the curation and archiving of the paper records
and artefactual data from excavations. The magnitude of the material
retrieved by development-led excavation is overwhelming the provision
of storage and management that exists at present. Museums do not have
the capacity to cope with the influx of archaeological material.
Ongoing deterioration of the quality and usability of archival material
and unprocessed environmental samples makes the process of transforming
archaeological excavations into meaningful knowledge about the past
increasingly difficult.
According to this Foresight Report, the central issue of concern in Irish archaeology is the lack of connection between the vast amount of information generation and the key purpose of archaeology which is the creation of knowledge and understanding about the past.
Irish archaeology needs to be re-positioned by shifting the focus of development-led archaeology from information generation to knowledge creation. This requires a fundamental sea-change in mindsets within many public organisations and private companies concerned with archaeology.
The Foresight Report concludes that three overarching enabling measures are fundamental to the prospects for repositioning Irish archaeology by 2020 including the establishment of
- an Archaeological Knowledge Implementation Partnership
- a Bureau for Archaeological Publication and
- an Inter-Institutional Collaborative Funding System.
The Foresight Report was informed by a Consultative Forum of decision
makers and other stakeholders drawn from both the public and the
private sectors. The draft report was widely circulated for comments
and posted on the websites of both the Institute of Archaeologists of
Ireland and the UCD School of Archaeology. Preparation of the Foresight
report was undertaken by Professor Gabriel Cooney, UCD School of
Archaeology, Dr Muiris O’Sullivan, Head of UCD School of Archaeology
and Dr Liam Downey, Honorary Research Fellow, UCD School of Archaeology.
The report can be accessed via: www.ucd.ie/archaeology