Archaeology in the School

Welcome to our Schools' Page!
From its very earliest days, the Department of Archaeology at University College Cork has always been very proud of its close links to schools in the Munster region and beyond. We see the great importance in fostering an interest and respect for our past amongst today's primary and secondary pupils, for they are indeed the bright future of Irish Archaeology and guardians of our national heritage. Archaeology is not just about the past, it is also about looking to the future (and, of course, trying to enjoy ourselves along the way!). Our staff regularly travel to schools to give talks and presentations, so please don't hesitate to contact us if you would like to know more about this.

Our Schools' Officer Denise Sheehan is always on hand to deal with any queries and would be delighted to hear from you (denise.sheehan@ucc.ie). We can also send out Information Packs to your school or class, just get in touch.

There is so much information online about the wonderful world of Archaeology. But if you are looking for somewhere to start, we highly recommend you check out the following:

UCC Archaeology Graduate Stories
We recently caught up with some former students of the Department of Archaeology to find out what they are up to now.
You can view this document interactively online here
or you can download it here (PDF):UCC Archaeology_Graduate Stories

Archaeology in the Classroom
An initiative by the Limerick Education Centre and the Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government (now the Department of Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht). This excellent resource is packed with information, activities and lesson plans for primary and secondary schools.
www.itsabouttime.ie

A Day in the Life of an Archaeologist
This website is crammed with stories of archaeologists from all walks of life who are hard at work in the vast and varied strands of the profession. The site is a great way to get the feel for life as an archaeologist and is full of excellent information and resources.
www.dayofarchaeology.com

You can visit our About Us pages to find out more about who we are, where we are, and what we do here.

If you are interested in studying Archaeology at University College Cork, you can:

• Visit our Studying Archaeology FAQ page

• View our Information Leaflet for schools interactively online
  or you can download it here (PDF):UCC Archaeology_School Info Leaflet

• View our Schools' Poster interactively online
  or you can download it here (PDF): UCC Archaeology_Schools' Poster

• View our Gallery for photos and videos about the Department, the students studying here and the work we do

• ‌Follow us on Facebook at uccarchaeology

• See UCC's Undergraduate Studies homepage for information on studying at UCC, open days for schools, etc.

The work of school teachers and pupils has always been central in helping better record, understand and preserve our extraordinarily rich cultural and natural heritage here in Ireland. If your class or school is embarking on a local archaeology project, we would be delighted to help out if we can.

We can also showcase your hard work at the Department through our website or Facebook page, so don't hesitate to send on any information or links. Contact us at archaeology@ucc.ie.

We all know that a picture can 'paint a thousand words'. However, in the case of an archaeological site a picture also has the ability to 'paint thousands of years'. We are very fortunate here in Ireland to have such a rich, varied and often beautiful archaeological record. If you have photos of archaeological sites from near your home or school, or even from your holidays, we would be both delighted and honoured to include your pics in our (and maybe even a little story about the site that you might like to share!).

Remember that every photo and story relating to an archaeological site is an invaluable part of the archaeological record - you are, in essence, donning your archaeologist's hat and helping ensure that future generations can enjoy and learn from these sites too. You can email your snaps and stories to archaeology@ucc.ie. Maybe you would even like to organise an archaeology photo project for the entire class.