About Us
Northern Archaeological Consultancy has been at the forefront of commercial archaeology in Northern Ireland for the past 15 years. As a dynamic company, always seeking to diversify and expand our horizons, we are delighted to launch this exciting course, which combines surveying and experimental archaeological studies.
The focus of our survey will be a series of Early Christian/Medieval earthworks located along the Owenkilley River, deep in the Sperrins in Co. Tyrone. Our research aim concerns the inter-visibility and phenomenology of these sites, which have hitherto been overlooked.
Our initial investigation will focus on a single monument with a detailed survey being produced over the week. It is our intention to build upon these initial surveys, possibly identifying patterns of settlement and/or construction, with a view to expanding our research agenda.
Experimental archaeology is key to understanding the nature of archaeological sites. This years experimental course will involve some of the most exciting and thought-provoking aspects of experimental archaeology. It is also our intention to establish longer-term archaeological experiments within the Sperrins region.
School Director: Christina O’Regan
Since graduating from University College Cork in 2001, Christina has been working in commercial archaeology across the island of Ireland. In 2002 she moved to Belfast to pursue a Masters degree in Palaeoecology at Queen’s University and has been working for NAC since 2004.
School Administrator - Lianne Heaney
Lianne received a BSc in archaeology from Queens University Belfast and an MSc in Maritime Archaeology from University of Ulster Coleraine. She has worked as an archaeologist and site director for NAC for many years. In 2005 Lianne became the manager of the NAC Post-excavation Unit and in 2009 became the administrative manager of the company overseeing all aspects of running a successful archaeological company.
Technical Supervisor: Ross Bailey
Since graduating from Queen's University Belfast in 2006, Ross has been working with Northern Archaeological Consultancy as both fieldworker and researcher, with a strong interest in experimental archaeology and archaeological surveying.
Dr Thomas R. Kerr
LLB, Bristol University; BA Archaeology, Queen’s University of Belfast; PhD, Queen’s University of Belfast.
Dr Kerr’s primary area of research is the complex, hierarchical culture of Early Medieval Ireland, although he is also interested in other contemporary ‘Dark Age’ European cultures. He is employed as Research Fellow on the Early Medieval Archaeology Project (EMAP), funded by INSTAR. EMAP has recently completed a synopsis of the archaeology of Early Medieval Ireland, and is currently involved in producing a gazetteer of important sites from this time period. Dr Kerr is also interested in reviewing the possible impact of plagues on contemporary society, and the possible interpretation of ‘strange’ events recorded in contemporary
writings.
Dr T. Rowan McLaughlin
BSc Archaeology/Palaeoecology, Queen’s University Belfast; PhD Queen’s University Belfast.
Dr McLaughlin is a prehistorian with research interests in the economy and chronology of Stone Age and Bronze Age Europe. His work aims to understand the lifestyles of prehistoric people by reconstructing and analyzing their diet. He has carried out extensive studies in this field using tooth wear patterns to investigate the foods consumed by our Stone Age ancestors. He is also involved at the forefront of research into the economy of Neolithic Ireland through his role in the INSTAR-funded Cultivating Societies project, which aims to assess the evidence for agriculture in this period. Dr McLaughlin has other diverse interests ranging from reconstructing population history using radiocarbon data to archaeoastronomy. He is also actively involved in all kinds of archaeological fieldwork in Northern Ireland.