Gill Boazman

Gill Boazman (PhD Candidate)

Christianity and regional landscapes in Early Medieval Ireland

Supervisor: Dr. Tomás Ó Carragáin
Early Medieval and Viking Research Group

The aim of the project is firstly to examine the impact of Christianity on settlement patterns in early medieval Ireland and secondly to explore whether the effects of this influence were manifest in regional variation.  The methodology is the intensive study of small areas.  This enables examination of all site-types and allows access to many classes of evidence.  A Geographical Information System will be generated for the accurate storage, analysis and presentation of this data.  The project focuses on how the position of differing site categories in the landscape demonstrates the intricate relationship between the ecclesiastical and secular elements of Irish early medieval society.

There will be two study areas in Cork and three in Leinster.  The rationale for area choice is firstly, an extant, documented ecclesiastical site in all areas and secondly, a cemetery settlement in the Leinster areas.  These sites, revealed recently by development-led archaeology do not conform to the morphology of known early medieval site types.  This regional comparison is a new departure in Irish early medieval studies and combined with the precision and capacity for processing detail of the GIS, will allow the detection of the very subtle variations in social organisation.

IRCHSS Government of Ireland Research Scholar.