Robert M Chapple, Archaeologist

It should come as no surprise that if our first Archaeology 360 video was to be about Nendrum , the next would be about the delightful ruin of Mahee Castle, just a few hundred metres from the monastic site. I’ve written before about Mahee Castle and even created some 3D images of the site. Rather than paraphrase all that again, allow me to direct you to the original blog posts [ here | 3D photos ].       Rather than being a conventional archaeological tour of the site, consider this immersive 360 video to be just as much about an open-eyed meditation on the place – a mindfulness experience, if you will. Look at the ruin, but also listen to the winds blow, the birds sing, and the leaves gently flutter on the breeze.  You can view it on an ordinary browser, but for best results we recommend the immersive experience that comes with an Oculus/Google Cardboard headset. Please feel free to  Like  and  Share  the video and  Subscribe  to the...

I know this blog has been quiet for a while. The realities of the Covid-19 lockdown meant I ended up focusing more on other priorities for a while. When the restrictions in Northern Ireland eased slightly and we were allowed to invite other people to come sit in our garden we invited a couple of our neighbours around for gin and elderflower champagne. In the course of a delightful evening the conversation turned to things of a tech nature and a revelation was made – our neighbours had a lovely Oculus Go headset that they didn’t use and wondered if the Chapples Minor would care for it? Never being known to look a gift horse in the mouth, I enthusiastically agreed. I had to bide my time until the children got over their first flurry of fervour and I got a look in. When I did, I was struck by a number of things, not the least of which is that I’m terrified of rollercoasters, both real and digital! It further reaffirmed my belief in the work of trailblazers such as Howard Goldbaum’s Voices...

It’s week four of social isolation and I think that many people are getting used to this ‘new normal’. Personally, I’ve found it, by turns, difficult living without so much social interaction and remarkably appealing. Some months ago I decided to work my way through all 1228 movies that appear in all editions of the book ‘1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die’. This now seems like a well-reasoned and socially responsible plan, and not the descent into madness it may have at first seemed to those closest to me. While my first priority has been to keep my family safe, I’ve been trying to do what I can for others too … which brings me to the subject of today’s post! Browsing Twitter last night, I saw a thread regarding the additional difficulties faced by PhD students and Postdoctoral Fellows in Irish universities owing to the current pandemic. It appears that some PhD students (those funded through RCUK) at UK universities have been granted an additional six months of funded...

The British Museum holds 32 items identified as coming from Co Dublin. The majority of these (17) are assigned to the Medieval period, followed by the Early Medieval (7) and Late Medieval (4) periods. The most common object type represented are jugs (10) and pitchers (6), followed by pins (4) and floor-tiles (3). Only three material types are represented in this assemblage: Pottery (20), Metal (11), and Amber (1). < Table of Contents Neolithic (?)/Bronze Age (?)/Iron Age (?): Amber item Kilmainham bead 18880719.122 Amber globular bead. http://britishmuseum.org/research/collection_online/collection_object_details.aspx?objectId=1392706&partId=1 Bronze Age: Metal item Dublin spear-head 18750401.440 Copper alloy socketed spear-head, pegged. http://britishmuseum.org/research/collection_online/collection_object_details.aspx?objectId=683289&partId=1 Late Bronze Age: Metal item Contarf penannular ring 18490301.180 Gold small pe...

The British Museum holds 156 items identified as coming from Co Co Offaly~King's County. The majority of these (79) are assigned to the Bronze Age, followed by the Early Medieval period (32). The most common object type represented are pins (17), followed by spear-heads (14). The most common material types are Metal (140) and Stone (11). < Table of Contents The Dowris Hoard Neolithic/Bronze Age: Stone items Dowris (Dowris Hoard) whetstone 18531121.100 Stone whetstone fragment. http://britishmuseum.org/research/collection_online/collection_object_details.aspx?objectId=806824&partId=1 Dowris (Dowris Hoard) whetstone 18531121.200 Stone whetstone fragment. http://britishmuseum.org/research/collection_online/collection_object_details.aspx?objectId=806825&partId=1 Dowris (Dowris Hoard) whetstone 18540714.170 Stone whetstone fragment. http://britishmuseum.org/research/collection_online/collection_object_details.aspx?objectId=80...