Beguiling Blasphemy (invited lecture)

I will be presenting a lecture entitled "Beguiling Blasphemy: The Hell-Fire Clubs of the 18th Century", for the University of Bristol Archaeology and Anthropology Society.

Thursday 3rd Feb 2011, 5.30pm.

All welcome, wine reception to follow.

"Academic Journal" will publish your articles, for a hefty fee

Over at Antiqua they have come up with a cunning plan:

1. Send unsolicited emails to every academic address they can find.
2. Tell the academic that they can get their article (any article it would seem) published, quickly. [All academics want to have lots of papers published, it is just a slow and agonising process.]
3. Antiqua offer you the chance to write the article, send it to them along with €350 and keep your fingers crossed that they will publish it. Online. Only online....

I am not impressed.

Have a read for yourself here: http://www.pagepress.org/journals/index.php/antiqua/pages/view/why

Askeaton survey

I spent the day conducting an archaeological survey in Askeaton, Co. Limerick!

The circular enclosure measures 30m in diameter, and contains a walled internal section (pictured, badly!)

All the dry stone walls have collapsed over time. At their highest point the walls reach some 2m.

According to the locals, the walls were once much higher. Some stone has been removed by the locals and cows have flattened sections of the site.

Stones are scattered haphazardly throughout. The level of overgrowth is extensive.

Proper maps and pictures coming soon. If anyone has any idea of what the site is, please let me know - have you seen anything similar?