Archaeology sites expose Great Irish Famine home

Archaeologists discover hidden mysteries of an Irish famine family's struggle

The archaeology substantiates that crowbar brigades were very good at their work; they could destroy, dismantle, and spread the remains of stone houses in ways that would leave no trace on the ground surface. Someone walking through this quiet Irish pasture would have had no idea of the history just beneath their feet. The rocks from the interior of the houses’ stone walls, intermingled with the artifacts, were all that remained after the largest stones had been removed to build walls and other structures once the land was emptied of people. Since 2002, our discoveries at Ballykilcline have been supplemented and substantiated by additional, annual excavations at Famine-era houses in counties Sligo and Donegal.

Working with Maggie Ronayne of NUI Galway’s Department of Archaeology and communities in the Burren, our new project – the Burren Field School in Historical Archaeology – will involve full community participation from the outset. Archaeological research – when added to written records, community knowledge and memory, landscapes, and other forms of information – has the potential to change our perceptions and to enrich our understanding forever.

 

Charles E. Orser, Jr. is Curator of Historical Archaeology, New York State Museum, Albany, and Adjunct Professor, National University of Ireland, Galway.

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