• Irish petroglyphs records: Blaze O' Connor

  Contribution of the University College Dublin to EuroPreArt

Department of Archaeology, University College Dublin, Ireland

Ireland's archaeological heritage features a wealth of well-known monuments such as the prehistoric passage tombs of Newgrange, Knowth, Loughcrew and Knockroe, Iron Age hillforts and royal sites such as that at Tara, the monasteries of the early Christian period with their distinctive round towers and high crosses, as well as Anglo-Norman and Post Medieval towns and castles. The collections in Ireland’s museums and libraries also consist of assemblages of European importance, including Bronze Age goldwork, Celtic metalwork, early Christian jewellery and manuscripts, and Viking artefacts.

The staff of the Department are active in a wide range of research areas including the art and architecture of the early Prehistoric and Medieval periods, the archaeology of landscapes, wetlands, and material culture, and studies in the Neolithic, Bronze Age and Iron Age and their European contexts.

Postgraduate Degrees in Archaeology
MA in the Archaeology of Art and Architecture

The MA in the Archaeology of Art and Architecture consists of an intensive one year course which aims to provide students with practical and interpretative skills, enabling them to record, analyse and interpret works of art and buildings to a professional standard. This course leads to a recognised qualification in archaeology, and is ideal preparation for a career in heritage management, professional archaeological practice, public service archaeology, or academia.

The course draws from the Department’s expertise in prehistoric megalithic art and rock art, medieval art, buildings archaeology, and art historical and architectural theory, and offers students the opportunity to visit and study an exceptional range of monuments and assemblages.

MA in Landscape Archaeology

Landscape archaeology encourages an integrated multidisciplinary approach to place, locality and region, focusing on the interaction between people and their surroundings, as well as the complex ways that people shape, and are shaped by, the worlds in which they live. It also explores how landscape has been used as a metaphor and a source of imagery for the forging of cultural, ideological and ethnic identities, both in the distant past and in the present.

The one year MA in Landscape Archaeology aims to provide students with both practical and interpretative skills, enabling them to design, manage and lead landscape research projects using a range of archaeological techniques and theoretical approaches to regions, localities, sites and themes.

The course has been developed by the Department’s specialists in prehistoric and historic landscape archaeology, theory and interpretation, settlement archaeology and the coastal and wetland archaeology of Ireland, Britain and Europe, and involves fieldwork in some of the best preserved archaeological landscapes in Europe.

PhD in Archaeology

The Department has a vibrant research school with a varied range of doctoral research being undertaken.
Application from suitably qualified candidates for the Masters and PhD programmes are welcome.