Bioarchaeology and Excavation: Discovering St Aidans Monastery
Your Archaeology Field School this Summer
This four-week program provides a unique, hands-on opportunity for students to excavate the buried remains of both St Aidan’s c. 7th century monastery and a 12th century Augustinian Abbey (founded by Diarmuid McMurrough) in the town of Ferns, County Wexford, Ireland. This site is a multi-period complex, originally founded by St Aidan at the turn of the 7th century and used from that time until today as a place of worship. Excavations will focus on the early monastic enclosure as well as buildings from both monastic communities. As both sites contain burial grounds this program is both an excavation and bioarchaeology course.
Staying with local families in homestay accommodation, this program also offers a deeply enriching cultural immersion, guaranteeing students a truly memorable experience.
The site is located within Ferns town, one of Ireland’s most important medieval centres, providing a stunning backdrop to the archaeological research site.
Registration does not guarantee acceptance to the program, which is contingent on a reference check. Once we have contacted your referee, and are happy with their reference, we will contact you with an official acceptance and payment link for a minimum payment of a €500 deposit.
Cancellations: This program is run with our partners the Institute for Field Research (IFR). For their cancellations policy (including Covid-19) please consult their website.
