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ARCH10050

Academic Year 2026/2027

Intro archaeology of Ireland (ARCH10050)

Subject:
Archaeology
College:
Social Sciences & Law
School:
Archaeology
Level:
1 (Introductory)
Credits:
5
Module Coordinator:
Assoc Professor Jessica Smyth
Trimester:
Spring
Mode of Delivery:
On Campus
Internship Module:
No
How will I be graded?
Letter grades

Curricular information is subject to change.

The spectacular archaeological heritage of Ireland indicates that people have been living on this island for at least 10,000 years. This module explores how Ireland's rich and diverse archaeological record of monuments, landscapes and objects tells the stories of those people and their ways of life from early hunter-gatherer times to the present. You will study the first settlement of the island, the establishment of farming and the building of monuments like Newgrange. We explore Ireland’s place in the 'Celtic world', life and society in medieval times and the emergence of modern Ireland.

This is a module aimed at students across the full range of disciplines and programmes in UCD and no prior knowledge of archaeology is required. It will provide you with a clear understanding of Ireland’s deep past, the Irish landscape and key times of innovation and change.

The module is organized as follows: (a) One highly-illustrated lecture each week presenting the story of Ireland from the Mesolithic to the present; (b) special case studies in a second lecture slot each week; (c) fortnightly tutorials to complement and reinforce the lectures; and (d) a fieldtrip in Week 4 to the National Museum of Ireland.

Fieldtrip accessibility and equipment:
Museum Visit: 10.30am -1pm Saturday at end of Week 4 (with class), or self-directed (in your own time).
This is based in the ground floor of the National Museum Ireland, Kildare St, which is fully accessible. Museum is in the city centre and is easily reachable by public transport. No special equipment or packed lunch needed.

Any students with health or access concerns should discuss this with the module coordinator as soon as possible.

About this Module

Learning Outcomes:

Having taken this module, you should be able to:
1. Understand the chronological framework underpinning our knowledge of Ireland's past;
2. Recognise key Irish archaeological complexes, monuments, artefacts and landscapes
3. Critically evaluate pivotal times of special achievement and change in Ireland's past;
4. Further develop your writing, reading, critical thinking, verbal communication and study skills
5. Summarise research, use other's research to support an argument and demonstrate an awareness that there can be many 'right' ways to answer a question

So that you can achieve these learning outcomes, the use of generative artificial intelligence (AI) is not permitted to generate the text of your written assignments (Week 7 museum project). At this stage in your educational journey (i.e. a Stage 1 module), Generative AI can bring you down a confusing and incorrect path. Have confidence in your own reading, thoughts and voice.

Indicative Module Content:

Wk 1: Introduction to the module & Introduction to reading the Irish past through objects, sites and landscapes
Wk 2: Palaeolithic & Mesolithic Ireland
Wks 3 & 4: Early Neolithic Ireland - the arrival of farming and megalithic monuments
Wks 5 & 6: Change & continuity in the earlier Bronze Age; Defence & Prestige in the later Bronze Age; Ireland's wetland landscapes
Wk 7: Iron Age Ireland: an enigmatic millennium
Wk 8: Mythical landscapes: Rathcroghan and Tara
Wk 9: Early medieval Ireland & the Vikings in Ireland
Wk 10: Later medieval Ireland & Post-medieval and early modern Ireland
Wk 11: Looking forward, looking back - final reflections; exam preparation session
Wk 12: No classes - exam preparation time

The United Nations identified seventeen Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) as core to the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, and UCD contributes in general to SDG 4 Quality Education. Further SDGs explored within this module if relevant are listed below. A scale of 1 - 5 indicates the extent to which the SDG is covered.


 

Student Effort Hours:
Student Effort Type Hours
Lectures

22
Tutorial

6
Field Trip/External Visits

4
Specified Learning Activities

20
Autonomous Student Learning

50
Total

102

Approaches to Teaching and Learning:
This module puts high value on direct personal engagement with the past, and with community-building among peers. For this reason, lectures often include active/task-based learning, and tutorials include peer and group work. There is also a mandatory fieldtrip to the National Museum of Ireland to get students out of the classroom, away from screens, and physically engaging with sites and objects.

Students are expected to conduct some learning activities independently in advance of particular lectures and tutorials to facilitate active learning activities in class.

This is a Stage 1 module, and no critical awareness or background knowledge of archaeology is assumed. The use of Generative AI is actively discouraged in this module, as students are only starting to learn about reliable sources of information.

Requirements, Exclusions and Recommendations
Learning Requirements:

No prior learning in the area is required

Learning Exclusions:

No exclusions

Learning Recommendations:

No learning recommendations.


Module Requisites and Incompatibles
Additional Information:
Archaeology PhD students (DRHSC001 Z117, DRHSC001 Z118) may audit this module only.


 

Assessment Strategy
Description Timing Component Scale Must Pass Component % of Final Grade In Module Component Repeat Offered
Assignment(Including Essay): Museum objects project (based on National Museum of Ireland visit), c. 1000 words Week 7 Standard conversion grade scale 40% No
30
 No
Exam (Open Book): Images and descriptions based on material covered in the module are used as prompts for students to write short responses testing their understanding of different time periods. End of trimester
Duration:
2 hr(s)
 Standard conversion grade scale 40% No
60
 No
Quizzes/Short Exercises: An MCQ quiz will be set every two weeks after the Tuesday lecture in Weeks 2, 4 and 6 (three quizzes in total). Each quiz is completed online, via Brightspace. Week 2, Week 4, Week 6 Alternative linear conversion grade scale 40% No
10
 No

Carry forward of passed components
Yes
 

Resit In Terminal Exam
Autumn Yes - 1 Hour
Please see Student Jargon Buster for more information about remediation types and timing. 

Feedback Strategy/Strategies

• Feedback individually to students, post-assessment
• Group/class feedback, post-assessment
• Online automated feedback

How will my Feedback be Delivered?

Online automated feedback: fortnightly on completion of each Multiple Choice Quiz Week 7 Project: written individual feedback & Group/class feedback provided within 4 weeks after submission deadline. Final exam: feedback provided to students upon request

CORE: Waddell, J. 2010. The Prehistoric Archaeology of Ireland, Revised edition. Bray: Wordwell.

Stanley, M., Swan, R. and O'Sullivan, A (eds). Stories of Ireland's Past: knowledge gained from NRA roads archaeology. Dublin: Transport Infrastructure Ireland.

Aalen, F.H.A., Whelan, K. & Stout, M 2011. Atlas of the Irish Rural Landscape, Cork University Press

O'Toole, F. 2013. History of Ireland in 100 Objects, Dublin: Royal Irish Academy

Wallace, P. F. and Ó Floinn, R. (eds). 2002 Treasures of the National Museum of Ireland: Irish Antiquities. Dublin: Gill and Macmillan

Name Role
Professor Joanna Bruck Lecturer / Co-Lecturer
Assoc Professor Neil Carlin Lecturer / Co-Lecturer
Dr Ryan Lash Lecturer / Co-Lecturer
Mr Conor McDermott Lecturer / Co-Lecturer
Professor Tadhg O'Keeffe Lecturer / Co-Lecturer
Dr Brendan O'Neill Lecturer / Co-Lecturer
Professor Aidan O'Sullivan Lecturer / Co-Lecturer
Assoc Professor Jessica Smyth Lecturer / Co-Lecturer
Professor Graeme Warren Lecturer / Co-Lecturer

Timetabling information is displayed only for guidance purposes, relates to the current Academic Year only and is subject to change.
Spring Lecture Offering 1 Week(s) - 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33 Thurs 14:00 - 14:50
Spring Lecture Offering 1 Week(s) - 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33 Tues 14:00 - 14:50
Spring Tutorial Offering 1 Week(s) - 21, 23, 25, 29, 31 Mon 10:00 - 10:50
Spring Tutorial Offering 3 Week(s) - 21, 23, 25, 29, 31 Tues 11:00 - 11:50
Spring Tutorial Offering 4 Week(s) - 21, 23, 25, 29, 31 Wed 13:00 - 13:50
Spring Tutorial Offering 5 Week(s) - 21, 23, 25, 29, 31 Wed 13:00 - 13:50
Spring Tutorial Offering 6 Week(s) - 21, 23, 25, 29, 31 Wed 15:00 - 15:50
Spring Tutorial Offering 7 Week(s) - 21, 23, 25, 29, 31 Thurs 12:00 - 12:50
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