Partnership & Participation: Community Archaeology in Ireland

Over the past number of years there has been an increasing desire among communities to engage directly with the archaeology, heritage and traditions of their local area. The term ‘community archaeology’ is generally understood as the communities of today engaging with the people of the past through a variety of means: excavation, surveys, studies and dissemination. Projects undertaken under the banner of community archaeology are varied and can include field-walking, building surveys, oral history projects, graveyard surveys, art projects, archive research, geophysical, landscape and topographic surveys, conservation and excavation. This work examines these projects nationwide with a common thread of reconnecting people with their past and encouraging new communities to connect with their localities–thereby creating awareness and ensuring the protection of the archaeological resource.