Museum Director Eithne Verling explores the archaeology of the great stone fort of Dún Aonghasa on Inis Mór, Co. Galway.  This is central to the MONUMENT exhibition presented by Galway 2020 European Capital of Culture and Galway City Museum as part of the cultural programme for Galway. 

Although Eithne is currently director of the Galway City Museum she was an archaeologist prior to this.  In this workshop Eithne explains what archaeology is and explores what the archaeological excavations at Dún Aonghasa can tell us about life in bronze age Ireland.  The location of the Aran Islands along the Atlantic Super Highway has resulted in a wealth of monuments dotted along these small islands.  The significance of its location and the type of monuments found are highlighted.  Eithne then examines the most famous of these Monuments, Dún Aonghasa, and explores the excavation processes and outlines some of the tools and techniques used by archaeologists during the dig.  Finally, she highlights some of the archaeological objects found at Dún Aonghasa, explaining how bronze objects were made, and what these discoveries tell us about life in Bronze Age Ireland.

The Irish landscape is rich in ancient monuments – the residences, tombs and sacred places of those who walked this island before us. Even today, they inspire awe, wonder and curiosity. The historian Standish James O’Grady once wrote that the people who built these monuments “were not strangers and aliens, but our own ancestors”. So, they are our inheritance. Standing atop a 90m-high cliff overlooking the Atlantic Ocean, the stone fort of Dún Aonghasa is one of the most spectacularly sited monuments in the whole of Western Europe.

This Galway City Museum initiative is supported by Creative Ireland through Galway City Council.

 Curriculum Links

Age: 3rd to 6th Classes
History:  Strand (unit): Early People and Ancient Societies (Bronze Age)