News Archive - 2007
18 December 2007
Development Officer
The IAI intendsto appoint a Development Officer on a two year part-time basis. Further details on the position will be available in the new year.
Update: 11 December 2007
Administrative Officer
The Institute of Archaeologists of Ireland would like to welcome our new administrative officer, Grainne Finn. Grainne will be responsible for managing the day to day operations of the Institute.
Skellig Michael Draft Management Plan
The IAI submission to the Skellig Michael Draft Management Plan is now available online. This document was submitted to the Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government in September 2007 and was circulated to our members at the recent OGM in Galway.
Royal Irish Academy Forum
The IAI has prepared a discussion document in response to the summary publication, outlining the key recommendations of the Royal Irish Academy forum on the theme of Archaeology in Ireland: A vision for the future. This document was circulated to our members at the recent OGM in Galway and is now available for download.
A full report on the proceedings of the forum is still in preparation, edited by Dr. Gabriel Cooney and will be published by the RIA.
Update: 09 November 2007
Representative of IAI meet with Minister
On Tuesday 6 November, representatives of the Board of IAI met with the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government, Mr John Gormley at Leinster House, as well as senior officials from the National Monuments Service. There was a general and positive discussion of issues relating to the review of policy and practice; the views of IAI and its members were articulated.
The minister was presented with a short document outlining the themes and issues discussed at the recent conference in Galway. A more detailed document outlining these themes as well as principles for action will be published shortly.
Review of Archaeological Policy & Practice
The issues paper produced by the Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government is available for download as an e-document from the department's website. Written submissions should be sent to the National Monuments Service by the end of November.
Journal of Irish Archaeology
Following the decision at the 2007 AGM, last Spring, to rotate the editorship of JIA on a bi-annual basis between the universities, Tomás Ó Carragáin of UCC took over as editor during the summer. The Department at UCC is committed to maintaining the high standards set for the Journal at NUIG by Conor Newman and before him by William O’Brien. The deadline for submissions for Volume 17 is February 2008.
back to topUpdate: 22 October 2007
Environmental Sampling: Guidelines for Archaeologists
The new guidelines on environmental sampling have been finished and will be formally ratified and adopted by IAI at out next AGM. The guidelines can be downloaded from the Publications page.
The IAI would like to thank all those involved in the preparation of the document.
Notice of Annual General Meeting
The Spring Conference and Annual General Meeting of the Institute will take place in Belfast on 7-9 March 2008. Details of venue and programme will be circulated in due course.
Review of Archaeological Policy & Practice
The Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government, John Gormley has initiated a review of Archaeological Policy and Practice in Ireland. As a first step the Minister has produced an issues paper and organised a series of seminars to discuss the issues which need to be addressed in the course of the review. This document has been circulated along with invitations to attend the seminars.
Further information can be obtained from the National Monuments Service.
Update: 01 October 2007
Administrative Officer (Part-time)
The Institute of Archaeologists of Ireland (IAI) is seeking to appoint a part-time Administrative Officer to manage the Institute’s membership and accounts and support the Board members of IAI.
This is currently a part-time position with one-year fixed contract; however the role is subject to development. The Administrative Officer will be based in the Institute’s offices at 63 Merrion Square, Dublin 2.
Download the recruitment notice.
The deadline for applications is Friday 12th October 2007 at 5pm. No applications can be accepted after that date.
Update: 27 September 2007
Skellig Michael - Draft Management Plan
The IAI has prepared a detailed submission relating to the Skellig Michael Draft Management Plan, which has been sent to the Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government.
European Association of Archaeologists
The 13th annual meeting of the European Association of Archaeologists took place in Zadar, Croatia on September 18-23, 2007. Margaret Gowen (Acting Chair, IAI) was re-elected as Vice-President of EAA.
Update: 17 September 2007
Autumn Conference
A full programme for the autumn conference, which will take place in the Courtyard by Marriot City Hotel and Spa, Headford Point, Headford Road, Galway can be downloaded from the conference information page.
The main theme and aim of this years autumn conference is to expand and develop the debate which began in 2006 with the publication of Archaeology 2020: Repositioning Irish archaeology in the Knowledge Society and was continued by the Royal Irish Academy through their one-day Open Forum conference.
A wine reception will take place on Friday 19 October in the new Galway Museum, with an opening address by Professor John Waddell, National University of Ireland, Galway.
There will be a poster display as part of the conference, which is still open for submissions. We are actively encouraging participation from post-graduate students in particular, and a prize will be awarded to the best post-graduate presentation. For more information or to submit a poster please contact Rory Sherlock.
All other enquiries should be directed to IAI or to our conference organiser, Lynda Lynch.
Update: 26 July 2007
Skellig Michael - Draft Management Plan
The draft management plan for the World Heritage Site of Skellig Michael, County Kerry has been published for public consultation. The document can be downloaded from the Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government website here.
Heritage Council Report
The Heritage Council (in association with Lansdowne Market Research) has just published a report on Valuing Heritage in Ireland. It is the largest study of its kind to be undertaken in Ireland andshows that the public are becoming increasingly concerned about the need to safeguard our heritage. The full report is available for download from the Council's website.
Lismullin, County Meath
The first report of the commitee appointed to oversee the archaeological excavations at Lismullin County Meath has been published on the Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government website, also available on the site are recent statements by the Minister as well as the full file on the site at Lismullin.
Update: 23 July 2007
Autumn Conference
The IAI is pleased to announce that the autumn conference will take place in the Courtyard by Marriot City Hotel and Spa, Headford Point, Headford Road, Galway. Details of the venue and accommodation along with an outline conference programme are available here.
Education & Training Officer
No candidate has been appointed, the position will be re-advertised shortly.
Update: 01 June 2007
Education and Training Officer
The IAI is pleased to announce that it has received joint funding from the Heritage Council and the Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government to appoint an Education and Training Officer as a full-time position with a fixed one year contract.
The position will be advertised in the Recruitment section of the Irish Times on 7 June 2007 and the Irish Independent on 14 June 2007.
Candidates should be familiar with the relevant studies compiled by CHL and Options consulting as well as the Phase 1 pilot scheme. See our education section for further information.
Update: 18 May 2007
WAC-6: Sixth World Archaeological Congress
The 6th World Archaeological Congress is coming to Dublin.The organising committee are delighted to invite colleagues from across the globe to come to University College Dublin, from June 29-July 4, 2008 for this spectacular archaeological conference.
A varied and engaging thematic programme is planned and a wide range of social events;will provide opportunities to experience the cultural and social life of Dublin and Ireland and to sample this island's outstanding archaeological heritage.WAC is committed to diversity and to redressing global inequities in archaeology through conferences, publications and scholarly programs. It has a special interest in protecting the cultural heritage of Indigenous peoples, minorities and peoples from a range of countries. WAC-6 will continue the established practice of previous international congresses in facilitating the participation and empowerment of indigenous peoples and researchers from economically disadvantaged countries.
The organising committee, based in the School of Archaeology, UCD are currently developing the academic programme, with proposals for themes, sessions and individual papers being received from across the world.
Deadline for theme proposals: September 30 2007
Deadline for session proposals: November 1 2007
Final announcement: early December 2007
Confirmation of acceptance of paper & posters: March 14 2008
Early registration: up to March 30 2008 (Join WAC for cheaper registration!)
Contact the WAC-6 Programme co-ordinator (Dr. Blaze O'Connor) for further details about the developing programme.
back to topUpdate: 09 May 2007
Information and Misinformation: a challenge for the Irish Archaeological Profession
The IAI has released a public statement responding to the recent media coverage about the prehistoric hengifrom enclosure at Lismullin and other sites revealed on the M3. The coverage illustrates an alarming degree of public misunderstanding about the nature of buried archaeological sites and remains, and how these sites are identified and revealed.
The current media scrum does not recognise the professionalism with which Ireland’s archaeologists conduct their work; our members do so with great skill, technical sophistication and unrivalled professional commitment.. The output of the Irish profession is recognised internationally as being of the highest standard. Read more ... ...
back to topUpdate: 04 May 2007
Discovery of National Monument at Lismullin, County Meath
The identification of a National Monument at Lismullin, County Meath, within the road-take for the M3 motorway (in the Tara - Skreen Valley), has been the subject of recent media coverage.
The National Roads Authority has produced a detailed information document describing the discovery and outlining its main comparanda. It includes location information as well as plans of the site.
The report is available for download from the NRA website.
National Musum of Ireland: Advice Notes for Export and Alter Application Forms
The National Musuem of Ireland has recently issued a new set of advice notes for those applying for licences to export or alter archaeological objects. Copies can be obtained by contacting the Duty Officer in the Antiquities Division of the museum.
A licence to alter is required whenever it is intended to alter an archaeological object, this includes standard treatments and analysis such as, wood identification, conservation and radiocarbon dating.
Where any analysis will be undertaken outside of Ireland, then a licence to export is also required. It is is illegal to remove any archaeological object from Irish jurisdiction without a valid export licence.
back to topUpdate: 20 April 2007
Discovering the Archaeologists of Europe
Earlier this year IAI advertised for a researcher to work with us on the Discovering the Archaeologists of Europe project. We are pleased to announce that the School of Archaeology, UCD has been appointed to fulfill this role. The funding from the European Commission will cover half of the costs of undertaking the project, the Heritage Council has agreed to provide match funding for the balance. We are grateful for their support.
Kenny Aitchison of the Institute of Field Archaeologists, has set up a central website for this project, which includes not only up-to-date information on the overall progress of the project but also includes a range of related documentation for download and links to the websites of all the partner organisations.
Archaeological Archives
Dublin City Council is currently undertaking a pilot study on the development of an archaeological archive for Dublin city. They are inviting archaeologists to submit suitably prepared archives. Detailed information on the project, including a detailed report can be obtained from the council's website.
This is a very important project given the scale of archaeological excavation over the last fifteen to twenty years, not only in Dublin but also across the rest of the country. The National Museum of Ireland is the repository for all archaeological objects, however, there is not, as yet, any designated repository for the primary excavation archives.
On a related note a report on the feasibility of developing an online archive for excavation reports submitted to the Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local government is available for download from the Heritage Council's website.
CPD
The IAI is in the process of developing the second stage of the CPD pilot scheme. The Heritage Council has agreed to partial fund the employment of an Education Officer to organise, co-ordinate and oversee the second stage pilot scheme. The IAI is currently endeavouring acquire the remaining funding.
Events
The events page has been updated to include a number of upcoming conferences. If you would like to have a conference, seminar, lecture or other event of interest to our members listed, please email us a brief description, noting date and location with a url or email address from which more detailed information can be obtained.
Retirement of Company Administrator
Finally our Company Administrator, Elizabeth Hogan, will be retiring at the end of May after three and a half year of exemplary service. We would like to extend the thanks of the Board and the entire membership for all her hard work. She will be sorely missed.
The Board will be seeking suitable applicants to fill this vacancy.
back to topUpdate: 09 April 2007
Discovering the Archaeologists of Europe
The European Association of Archaeologists has recieved funding from the European Commission's Leonardo II programme to undertake the Discovering the Archaeologists of Europe project. IAI is one of the eleven partner organisations involved in the project., drawn from ten European countries (Belgium, Britain, Czech Republic, Cyprus, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Malta, Netherlands, and Slovenia). The project seeks to improve the understanding of the requirements for, and capacity to provide, transparent qualifications for archaeologists across Europe. The project will produce important information for the development of archaeology and the education and training of archaeologists across Europe. The final report is currently scheduled for publication in September 2008. Further information on the project will be added to the website as it progresses.
Also
The IAI Spring Conference and AGM took place in Cork during the weekend of 9-11 March, the full programme of papers presented. including abstracts has been archived on the conference information page. The programme and abstracts from the Autumn 2006 conference have also been archived.
The date for the Autumn 2007 conference and OGM is 20-21 October 2007. This meeting will take place in Galway, information on the venue and programme will be added to the conference information page in due course.
Members are reminded that subscriptions for 2007 are due and should be forwarded to the Treasurer immediately.
Finally the Links page has been re-organised and re-formatted.
back to topUpdate: 26 February 2007
In September 2006 the Royal Irish Academy held a forum on the theme of Archaeology in Ireland: A vision for the future. This forum was well attended by a broad spectrum of those currently working in the field. The RIA has compiled a short document outlining the key recommendations which emerged from the discussions. It is available for download here.
A full report on the proceedings of the forum is still in preparation, edited by Dr. Gabriel Cooney and will be published by the RIA.
back to topUpdate: 05 February 2007
The IAI Spring Conference and AGM will take place in Jurys Cork Hotel, Western Road, Cork from 9-11 March 2007. The theme of the conference will be The Archaeology of Conflict. For further information check the event page; this page will be updated regularly over the coming weeks with accomodation and programme information.
back to topUpdate: 18 January 2007
A number of upcoming conferences have been added to the Events listing. An updated register of members is available for download here.
Also
The Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government has published a set of Guidlines for Authors of Reports on Archaeological Excavations, these can be downloaded from the departmental website here.
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