Archaeology and Irish

This course offers a Joint Honours degree programme examining both the wider human past and contemporary Irish language as well as Gaelic heritage and identity from a broad humanities-based perspective. While the emphasis in Irish is on the modern language and culture, the course will provide you with an opportunity to pursue your interests both in the past and present of Gaelic heritage, from the first arrival of humans in the island of Ireland to to recent centuries. Students on this course will receive intensive tuition in the Irish language and will have the opportunity to gain hands-on experience in working with archaeological material and undertaking fieldwork. This degree opens the door to a wide range of career options, including careers in teaching, commercial archaeology, museums, heritage management and many more, both within and beyond the heritage and Irish language sectors.

World Class facilities
Students benefit from access to the internationally renowned 14CHRONO Centre for Radiocarbon Dating, the Centre for Archaeological Fieldwork, departmental collections and laboratories for study of artefacts, human, animal and plant remains and other scientific materials and instruments, including access to GIS, laser scanning and specialist teaching laboratories. The University’s McClay Library holds one of the most comprehensive collections of resources on Irish, British, European and World Archaeology in Ireland and the UK, and provides state-of-the-art study facilities. The McClay Library also holds a world-class collection of resources for the study of Irish language and culture.

Professional accreditation
This course includes a module pathway that is fully accredited by the Chartered Institute for Archaeologists (CIfA) and University Archaeology UK (UAUK). Students on that pathway can become student members of CIfA, providing you with access to their e-learning modules, specialist professional networks and details of jobs in the profession. All students on this degree programme also automatically gain student membership with the Institute of Archaeologists of Ireland, giving you access to further professional development resources and information of relevant job vacancies in the island of Ireland.

Degree supplements and study-abroad
Students enrolled on this course have the opportunity to undertake an optional additional year of study, which can either be spent studying abroad at one of Queen’s international partner institutions or on a UK or international work placement. Depending on the chosen option, students availing of the optional additional year will gain one of the following degree supplements: ‘BA Archaeology and Irish with International Study’, ‘BA Archaeology and Irish with Placement’, or ‘BA Archaeology and Irish with International Placement’.

Course Modules

The archaeology modules available on this course focus on different periods of World, European and Irish/British archaeology, from human origins to modern times and heritage, allowing students to develop both their theoretical background knowledge and their practical skills in equal measure. Modules in Irish provide students with a broad understanding of diverse aspects of Irish culture and society, and include film-making, the short story, the novel, and modern poetry. The growth of Gaelic identity is also explored and insight into the country’s wider heritage is developed through the study of mythology, folklore and Scottish Gaelic.

The way in which students are assessed in this course is designed to support the learning outcomes of the programme and of each specific module. A broad range of formative and summative assessment methods is used. Some modules are assessed solely through project work or written assignments. Others are assessed through a combination of coursework, including essays, reports, portfolios, presentations, reflective journals, and exams.