Certificate in Archaeological Excavation and Recording

This accredited programme is designed to give participants their first experience of the archaeological excavation process. You will take part as a team member on a research excavation at the site of a medieval friary, the Blackfriary in Trim, Co. Meath, Ireland. You will experience all key tasks routinely performed on an excavation site and in an on-site post-excavation lab. In addition to the on-site work, you will also take part in the initial post-excavation processing of artefacts and environmental samples and will gain valuable skills. With expert tuition from the Programme Team as well as from visiting specialists, the programme is run as a four-week full-time block outside of normal college semester time. The medieval town of Trim is less than an hour from the capital city Dublin. It is located in the Boyne Valley, one of the most scenic and historic areas of Ireland, and home to the Brú na Bóinne World Heritage Site and you will visit a number of key sites in the area as part of your stay. 

This programme is designed to give students of archaeology/anthropology and others an opportunity to gain accredited practical hands-on experience on a live archaeological excavation site. No previous field experience is required, as you will be introduced to all procedures and techniques routinely carried out on an archaeological excavation as well as being given an introduction to the key approaches to post-excavation analysis.

On completion of the programme, you will have all of the basic technical, intellectual and personal skills required to participate confidently and productively at a junior level on an excavation site and in a post-excavation laboratory setting. You will be introduced to the procedures and protocols involved in the scientific systematic archaeological excavation of sites and will have basic competence in carrying out the range of basic excavation, recording, and preliminary interpretative functions routinely undertaken by professional excavation team personnel. They will also have a good working knowledge of the principles of the post-excavation process and other aspects of archaeological analysis of artefacts and ecofacts.  

As well as gaining valuable on-site excavation experience, you will also get practical experience of participating in post-excavation processing, documentation and preliminary analysis. Students will undertake post-excavation processing of artefacts and samples retrieved during excavation and will receive training in the work and recording procedures applicable to this stage of the excavation process. The skills gained by students successfully completing this programme are sought after by employers in the archaeological sector.

Furthermore, it is intended that these skills and the credits earned will contribute towards the credit requirements of higher qualifications where there is an obligation to gain accredited on-site experience.  This research excavation is at the site of a medieval Dominican friary, the Blackfriary, in Trim in Co. Meath, a National Monument in State care. You will live locally in the historic town of Trim and will also be brought on visits to the nearby Brú na Bóinne World Heritage Site as well as the National Museum of Ireland in Dublin.

This programme will be of particular interest to students intending to pursue a career in archaeology. The knowledge and skills that students will gain during this programme are actively sought after by employers in the commercial archaeology sector.

This programme would also be ideally suited to:

• Students/graduates of archaeology programmes wishing to gain practical skills.
• Overseas students studying archaeology/anthropology who are required to independently gain credits on practical site-based modules as part of their studies.
• Overseas students with a requirement for an accredited study abroad experience.