Robert M Chapple, Archaeologist

Had my dad (Robert F ‘Bob’ Chapple) still been with us, he’d have been 72 today ( 6th  of December 2013 ). I think he'd have had quite a bit of fun ... and cake ... and probably Jameson whiskey. Unfortunately, December holds another, sadder anniversary for my family. A mere two days’ time - the 8th of this month - will mark three years since his sudden passing. I still miss him and not a day goes by without my thinking of him, and wishing that I still had the benefit of his insight, mentoring, company, and (occasionally) his sense of humour. Hadleigh excavation 1958. excavation of furnace by James Perkins + ? When my dad left school he followed a number of career paths (cook, office junior, and RAF aerial photography applicant), before eventually finding that he had an interest in, and vast aptitude for, accountancy. By the time of his death, he had established himself as an immensely talented, respected and trusted accountant in the west of Ireland. Along the w...

[** If you like this post, please make a donation to the IR&DD project using the button at the end. If you think it is interesting or useful, please re-share via Facebook, Google+, Twitter etc. **] As a consequence of the Drumclay crannog fiasco, Minister Alex Attwood has proposed a wide-ranging review of archaeological practice in Northern Ireland. The scope of this review has yet to be made public, but I would hope that it will be broad enough to consider such matters as the planning process, along with the operation of both the private and state sectors – not just in this case, but in how the practice of archaeology is conducted generally. I have a sneaking suspicion that a path may not be beaten to my door to solicit my opinion – it certainly hasn’t been sought so far. As we all know, this has never stopped me! For this reason this blog post may be regarded as my – deliberately provocative, but no less serious – position paper on what should happen in commercial archaeo...