Hell-Fire Club interviews with BBC

I've been away with work and research, but still super enthused about the Hell-Fire Clubs! The media types quite like the story as there are lots of spooky myths relating to the club sites.

Read all about it here:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-northern-ireland-37609835

Hear all about it here:
https://soundcloud.com/tierneae/hell-fire-club-interview

Fun fieldwork with local Bristol school

We hopped over to Two Mile Hill School yesterday to do a spot of GPR and soil analysis, thanks to the team of Dept. volunteers - 2 first years, 1 second year, another PhD student Henry Webber, and our field tech. Phil Rowe.

It links into Bristol European Capital plans for planting and redesign of the space. Read the press release, and I'll post more info in future.

"Bristol archaeologists help pupils explore school’s history"

Almost done

The sands of time are slippery feckers. I haven't posted since November, and for good reason. It's been PhD writing season, the last hurdle before the final hurrah. This past month gave me the final piece of data I needed (laser scan outputs in a usable format), so I got my paperwork in order. Boom - submission mid next month, over 7 months early. I can't wait for the viva to be over. Whatever corrections come my way, I'll be happy. My topic is still a source of joy, but a part time PhD is a terribly long slog that needs to end. The sooner the better.

Plus, I don't like to post without pictures, so have some lovely pics of my quick trip to relaxy Lanzarote. Lots of caves and cocktails, great place.

Glastonbury fieldtrip

Last week we took the first year anthropology students to Glastonbury. Our archaeology expert, Dr. Stuart Prior, guided them through the archaeological context so they could understand the site's rich history. The region's legacy informs many aspects of everyday life and this was explored under various themes (food, ritual, commodities, etc.) - students were divided into fourteen groups and conducted their own research throughout the day.

I documented the experience and made a short video - check it out!

The wonders of Cornwall

Who knew that the cradle of Egyptian civilisation rests in Cornwall? No one, because it doesn't, but that won't stop the wildlife and dinosaur park from creating a display to that effect. Radically pointless.

Cufu of Cornwall

I finally got to visit Tintagel and only got moderately sunburnt. Besides the steep walks, it was magical.

So many steps....

It is stupidly pretty in all directions

Fally down walls aplenty

Smashing in summer, demented in winter

We took time to visit the picturesque town of Clovelly too. Along the pebble beach is a lush waterfall.

The view through Clovelly

You can run right under the waterfall

Capped off with sunset on the beach

Big booms and salty tears

Shall we start with the big news, and get it out of the way? Only the little fact that our excavations on Hatteras Island have been covered by NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC. Seriously, natgeo, the legends themselves hopped over to see what we've been working on, and they loved it.

Check out the story here

In other news, we were back at Berkeley Castle yesterday to do a little filming with Dr. Ruth Farrar of SheExtreme.

The greatest joy of sound recording? You get to tell other people to be quiet and don't get in trouble for it ;-)

Meanwhile, the PhD is ticking along and progress has been made with significant rewrites and pushing myself boldly where I really don't want, but need, to go.

In June, I hosted my favourite ninja friends on a visit from Ireland. Last month, was full of ups and downs.  I helped out with the National Sustainable Schools SEED Conference, doing bits of filming for their online content. I got a chance to work with the Realising Opportunities students I am tutoring. A bunch of archaeology students led an interactive bonanza of archaeological goodness for all the family as part of the Festival of Archaeology. Unfortunately, the month also marked the passing of my ever-vivacious granny Nancy, a fine woman who reached the grand age of 97 with all her own teeth and a wicked sense of humour. Card shark, messer, shenanigans-instigator... we will miss her forever.

Tierney Towers will probably be very quite for the next couple of months as I gradually build a cocoon filled with papers, books and calcified tears - that's right folks - the final months of the PhD are upon me and I am rightly TERRIFIED!

Sustainability and cake

My sustainable development education role at the University means a lot to me. I've been working at it for over 3 years and, while it's not archaeology *my one true love*, the subject is worthy of the attention it is starting to get nationally. Plus, I'm constantly finding new and exciting ways to re-assess archaeology and anthropology by reflecting on broader issues of ESD (Education for Sustainable Development). So, you can imagine my surprise and glee when I got nominated and then shortlisted for a Sustainability Award, part of a larger annual Awards programme run by the Bristol Students' Union.
You can see all the categories and shortlisted people here:
https://www.bristolsu.org.uk/news/article/UBU/Bristol-SU-Awards-the-shortlist-is-announced/

This comes quick on the heals of the accreditation received institutionally as part of the NUS's "Responsible Futures" initiative, in which thirteen other universities participated. We were delighted to have all our hard work acknowledged. For us, this wasn't some tick-box exercise or agenda-laden league  table. It was more important as a means of showcasing the large-scale team effort and successes across the whole institution and the Students' Union, and also serves as a transparent benchmarking trial.
Read the Uni's press release on this student-led social responsibility and sustainability scheme:
http://www.bristol.ac.uk/news/2015/june/responsible-futures.html

There won't be a cake left in sight.

In other news, things are moving along nicely at Berkeley with all my engagement projects. Today brought a massive burst of joy onto site when legendary archaeologist and BAJR leader, David Connolly, gave us £100 to spend on cake to thank the community of Berkeley for their participation in the Town Museum project. We're just winding down on the project now, but the feedback we've received so far has been immensely positive. Critically for me, the students have seemed to love it too, learning and developing an arsenal of transferable skills.

Tomorrow's task - buy all the cake.

Berkeley 2015

Most of May has been taken over by prep for Berkeley and then getting back on site. It's the 11th year of excavations and the new batch of freshers are learning the ropes. I'm in my third season or leading engagement efforts that site alongside the digging. You can see an overview of my plans here:
https://publicarchaeology2015.wordpress.com/2015/06/01/june-2015-preview-berkeley-engagement-project/
The Public Archaeology 2015 project is pretty awesome, so I would encourage you to check it out - a new project is covered every month! I'll be posting more on Berkeley over the next few weeks.

Miniature castle in front of the real castle. Well meta. Xzibit would be proud.

The Town Museum project was my pet project for this year, and it has made quite the impact on the local community. Read more here - University of Bristol press release: http://www.bristol.ac.uk/news/2015/may/town-museum-project.html

We even went on site on Bank Holiday monday to give free tours *commitment* 

We've been experimenting with 3D artefact and feature imaging, social media, pubic engagement and focusing on student transferable skills development.... busy busy!

Follow us here: Facebook, Twitter, Instagram

Back in time at Berkeley

We are gearing up for another student-training and research excavation at Berkeley Castle, starting from 18th May. While going through the archive I found some pics back when I did some digging in the churchyard in 2011 (new toilet pipe was going in, so glamorous). Don't forget to catch up with us during this season- facebook - twitter - blog.

They keep us working fast by threatening diggers with machinery (not really, they are all very lovely)

A difficult spot to dig, I can promise you!

Where spelunking and speleology meet

Not really, but I love those words, spelunking and speleology. Rolls off the tongue better than "archaeological site recording at a listed artificial commercial cave site".

I was recently back at the Hell-Fire Caves to make some additional notations to my laser scan data. Thanks to fellow PG Charlie Goudge for bed, board &; survey assistance (and photos!). Her granny joined us half way through for a visit, which was a first. More fieldwork should feature grannies.

The more times I'm in the "Childrens Cave", the creepier it gets

Dig Hatteras

Since late March, I have been helping out on Prof. Mark Horton's excavations on Hatteras Island, North Colony. The site is tied to the lost colony of America, so there is lots of excitement and intrigue. Catch up on the project here: www.facebook.com/dighatteras.

Christmas stone circles

As one does when back in the home country, I spent Christmas with the family. And what better way to start the festive morning, than with a quick trip to some awesome stone circles at Grange, Co. Limerick.

The locals keep an eye on the site and you pay a small fee at the gate to enter

#stonecircleselfie

Student Rock Art

Did you ever wonder what would happen if you asked your students to express their own narratives in the style of ancient rock art? I did. And there was a point to it.


The exercise allows them to express any story, be it their adventures at the weekend, travel experiences, a fairytale, or a soap opera issue. Whatever they like.

They draw the image(s) and then swap with their peers. The group tries to figure out what the story was about. It can be much more difficult that you might think, and misunderstandings are almost guranteed.

Students quickly see that even within their own broadly culturally homogenous group, interpretation is fraught with difficulties. Which leads them to understand how tricky interpretation of (particularly prehistoric) material can be.

Plus, it's lots of silly fun! The prefect lesson to finish off the term before the holiday break.

Check out the first batch of uploaded images here:

http://studentrockart.tumblr.com/

Stanton Drew fieldtrip

Just a short drive outside of Bristol are the beautiful stone circles of Stanton Drew. I accompanied Prof. Mark Horton and our enthusiastic third years on a fieldtrip that introduced secondary school students from Merchant's Academy to the world of Archaeology.

It was cold and windy, but nothing could dull Mark's excitement as he raced through thousands of years of history in just an hour. Students got hands on with the stones, climbing on top of the monuments and seeing the scale in person was quite impressive. They were amazed to hear how far away the source of the stonework was, and surprised to hear that it was once filled with timber posts. They ventured their own ideas on interpretation, and I must admit we were very impressed with some of their ideas - a bright bunch this lot!

Pof Mark Horton

Merchant's Academy students at Stanton Drew

As the sun set we headed to three stones behind the Druid's Arms pub. One appears to have fallen down over the ages. Mark tried out some experimental archaeology and his idea that the semicircular shape could have acted as a sound projection (video footage, below). Great fun and especially engaging as it was interactive. We also have plans to try and get students from the school to come on site to Berkeley during the summer.

Mark Horton laughing in front of a giant straw Minion... of course

Teaching Archaeology & the Media

This year, my supervisor and I were very excited to receive funding from the University of Bristol to conduct some innovative teaching approaches on concepts around "Archaeology and the Media" including social media. The first two sessions took place over the last couple of weeks and student feedback was very promising.

The aim of teaching was to provide students with competencies, strategies and ethics in how to deal with media channels, journalists, social media, etc. (I wasn't teaching them "how to do a tweet"!).

I've adopted a crowdsourcing activity I saw at a HEA workshop earlier this year and mixed up my lecture delivery style with interactive elements. Students responded to both the break of lecture (*brain relief*) and the chance to discuss and hash out what they just learned in small groups, and then bring it back to the larger group.

It's difficult to prove, unless I tie this in to examinations, but I think this process helps with retention of information. It's well understood that we only retain a small precentage of what we hear and write down, but by bolstering this with discussion and reflection, learning is reinforced immediately. By interacting, students also feel more involved, and participation can enhance enjoyment and enthusiasm for the subject.

In addition to one of the lectures, I was also given blocks of seminar time to further develop ideas grounded on the case study of the Berkeley Castle Excavations social media project. I created a loose frame within which the students were encouraged to work independently and collaboratively, at their own speed, following their own interests, with me placed to provide direction and support as required. Again, this was highly effective and many students commented on how they enjoyed this relaxed environment where any idea was welcomed. The added bonus was that students became even more encouraged to join the social media team this summer (hooray!).

In the coming weeks and months, I will be further developing my approaches and writing up my findings. After the summer excavation period, I will produce a report for the University which will contain a model of my approaches that can be lifted and applied to a wide range of subjects (especially those that conduct fieldwork) - this will be made available freely once internally approved. 

extra archaeology content

If you haven't already, check out my instagram account. I trawled through my archives and found some super archaeology pics from my travels in Sri Lanka, Greece, France, Spain, Mexico, Ireland, the UK, Japan and beyond:
instagram.com/irishashyt
Plenty more to come!

No news is good news

In the invigorating world of research, sometimes there is just very little to report. I've been reading, do you care? Probably not. I could jazz it up - I've been annihilating the appalling work of so-called academics in my quest for intellectual superiority. More interesting, but not completely true. I'm just researching all about the Hell-Fire Club of Sir Francis Dashwood and tumbling through the myths and truths about his life and everything relating to the infamous club he founded (alledgedly, it might have been someone else, but it was probably him, for this club, not the others - see - it's just swings and roundabouts with this lot of 18th century shenanigan-meisters). 

Me in the Hell-Fire Caves along with mannequins showing Dashwood and his friends #totallyprofessional

I have bee enjoying re-reading Francois Rabelais the 16th century satirical French rascal. He is hilarious and rude and crude and perceptive all at the same time. Plus, he is easy to read, unlike so much of what we researchers have to digest. I'm looking at how his imagining of the Abbey of Theleme relates to motifs used by Dashwood in his building programmes at Medmenham and West Wycombe.

Other news?

• I'll be posting my Public Archaeology idea soon here: https://publicarchaeology2015.wordpress.com/. You can get involved in the project by reading the posts and commenting - we want your ideas!
• I'm working on the Academic Assignment Tutor Programme with the University and a local secondary student.
• I saw Steven Seagal and his Blues Band in Clapham recently... you couldn't make it up!
• There were some strange days in Devon that featured the Gnome Reserve, Watermouth Castle and the Museum of Witchcraft - more on that soon.

And, just for fun, another throw back thursday shout out to my by-all-accounts-awesome great-grandfather Cantwell who was the archaeologist in Limerick, Ireland (and raises my awe meter readings with all his publications in the Royal Irish Academy).

Archaeology Swag  Great Granddaddy pipe-smoking on site

Summer Digging at Berkeley (Throw Back Thursday)

Who doesn't love a muddy bottom all the way home?

Landrovers come with their own unique ecosystem, a rare balance of moss, mould, rust and rain puddles on seats!

Take post-excavation sorting outside into the sunshine!

Archaeology has learned so much from the building profession - we too stand around watching one person at work (motivation is integral to productivity)

Part of the Green Apple Scheme-funded temporary exhibition all around Berkeley

Another fantastic exhibition designed by Bristol students at the Jenner Museum (and another at the Castle)

Mid May to mid June update

It's been a heady mix of archaeology on site at Berkeley Castle and work on my sustainability life!

First though, my utter edge of seat excitement that I'll be away later this week at the Hell-Fire Caves with the British Geological Survey - they have kindly offered a team of experts to work with me to 3D laser scan the entire cave system. More updates on that soon.

Onto Berkeley, where I've been training students in how to engage the public with the University's dig around the town. We've had some cracking ideas come up - you might want to try one of our quizzes:

What archaeological site are you?

What kind of archaeologist are you?

Along with videos (my favourite), Facebook, Twitter, etc.

Back on campus, I signed up to the be an academic assignment tutor as part of the Access to Bristol scheme. And it was full steam ahead for developments with sustainability and enterprise education plans.

I even made room for some semblance of a social life and saw the Fun Lovin' Criminals at Grillstock.

Mid-April-mid-May Update

A whirlwind month of productive meetings have passed and it feels great to see some real progress with the University's approach and consideration of Education for Sustainable Development (ESD).

I hopped up to Nottingham for the annual EAUC conference, where I presented on two sessions, one on where Enterprise and Sustainability meet, and the other a joint session with Edinburgh on students and sustainability. The feedback was very positive and the day was followed by a super swish gala dinner and questionable dancing.

The following weekend Graham took part in the 10k Bristol run, raising money for charity - over £1300 so far for Kidney Research - you can donate here: http://www.justgiving.com/Graham-Tratt

Then the ESD team ran a HEA-funded workshop on ESD and institutional change, again I presented on two sessions and even got a chance to film some reflections from attendees and speakers.

In between all these bits and pieces, I've been preparing for the upcoming Berkeley excavation season! If you haven't already, check out our feeds @digberkeley or facebook.com/digberkeley.

yay! digging!

And, let's not forget the awesomeness that was the Eurovision #beardedladiesforever !