Chronologically the database will incorporate evidence from

The Irish Iron Database is being compiled as part of a PhD the earliest use of iron in the Late Bronze Age up to the
project focusing on the social and technological role of Iron coming of the Vikings and different ways of working the
in the Irish Iron Age and Early Medieval periods. The metal in the late first millennium AD (Scott’s Early Iron Age A
database aims to incorporate all published sites with to Late Iron Age A). Experience so far suggests the vast
evidence for iron production or majority of the evidence collected will date to the second half
working and also a significant of the first millennium AD.
number of unpublished sites. When
complete, the database will allow
sophisticated analysis and re-interpretation of the
extensive evidence for early iron in Ireland. A number of key sources will provide information for
the database. Scott’s (1990) database of published
sites provided a baseline and was used for the initial
design (design is ongoing). New data from
The Irish Iron database forms one significant Government websites including excavations.ie and
element of a PhD currently being carried out at the NRA Database (http://archaeology.nra.ie)
the UCD School of Archaeology. is particularly important for finding
unpublished information. The co-
The research is attempting to operation of companies and directors
understand the role of iron as both is also very important.
a material and an industry in early
Ireland. It is examining the Within UCD, the Early
evidence from a social Medieval Archaeology
perspective; considering how Project (www.emap.ie) has
iron, a material critically completed its first phase
important in societies reliant assessment of Irish Early
on iron weapons and tools, Medieval sites, including
was intimately bound up a specific assessment
with people’s ideologies, of ironworking evidence
identities and everyday (O’Sullivan and Harney
social practice. 2008). The ‘Iron Age
Ireland: Finding an
Very little work has been Invisible Invisible People’ project is
published in Ireland specifically a similar synthetic database
relating to early ironworking and also being compiled in UCD
Scott’s influential monograph (Becker et al 2008) aimed at
Early Irish Ironworking published assessing excavated evidence
almost two decades ago remains the from the Iron Age. Both projects are
only major work in the area. There is now invaluable sources of information for the
a pressing need for an assessment Irish Iron Database
of the latest evidence. New
methodologies and new theoretical approaches are
being employed to bring a fresh perspective to the
material. The database will provide a solid basis for analysis and
interpretation both for this doctoral research and
future projects. It will also stand as a significant tool for
comparative analysis between Irish sites and
also internationally. It
Geographically the database will cover the is hoped that in the 70
Number of Sites

60

entire island. This is an ambitious and comprehensive target long term it will be 50
40
30
that will only be possible through careful management of the possible to make the 20
10

level of detail involved. The database will only incorporate database available 0

data directly relevant to ironworking processes. It will not to other researchers

record iron artefacts, unless they are particularly noteworthy on a formal basis, Number of ironworking sites per year 1970-2002. Based on EMAP
(O’Sullivan and Harney 2008).

(e.g. anvil, tongs), and sites with potentially relevant possibly through
evidence but no ironworking remains (e.g. charcoal internet publication. Finally, it can serve as a model for
production pits) will not be included. studies of other materials as yet neglected.

The research is being carried out within the UCD School of
Archaeology under the supervision of Dr. Aidan O’Sullivan and Dr.
Helen Lewis and with the support of the IRCHSS, a NUI Travelling
Studentship, Marie Curie Early Stage Training funding and the
Humanities Institute of Ireland
•Becker, K., O’Neill, J. and O’Flynn, L. 2008 Iron Age Ireland: Finding
an Invisible People. Archaeology Ireland, Vol. 22(3), 5.
•Scott, B.G. 1990 Early Irish Ironworking, Ulster Museum: Belfast
•O’Sullivan, A. And Harney, L. 2008 Early Medieval Archaeology
Project: Investigating the Character of Early Medieval Excavations,
1970-2002, UCD Scool of Archaeology: Online Report