Hello everybody!
Since 1991, it has been my privilege to welcome 1500+ students from
Scandinavia, France, Germany, Belgium, Great Britain, the USA, South
America, Canada, Australia & New Zealand to the Achill Archaeological
Field School and while I cannot claim to remember each and every one
of you, I do very much appreciate the fact that you choose to come to
Achill and participate in the Field School. Many of you have
successfully continued your education in your own country while
others have opted for further study at Irish and British
universities; some have returned to the field school as volunteers, -
the really enthusiastic `Achill lovers' doing so on several
occasions; others have returned with family and/or friends and have
been made welcome by myself, field school staff and numerous locals.
Over the years, the field school has added several new short and
specialist courses to our programme, all of which are detailed on our
website. One such course is aimed at Faculty + Student groups
from overseas universities. To date, three USA universities have
availed of our specially designed faculty 10-day module:-Franklin
Pierce College in New Hampshire, Cornell in New York and the
University of Wisconsin at Milwaukee. Professors Bob Jeske and
Bettina Arnold from UWM said: ' Achill provides a stunning landscape
coupled with hospitable locals who made us feel very welcome. We, and
our students will take back abiding memories of a starkly beautiful
island where generations worked and died over thousands of years,
leaving a legacy of buildings, field systems, tombs and graveyards.
We were taught to 'read' this marvellous landscape, and the weather
was kind!' Achill Island has the archaeological resources and
facilities to cater for small groups (25) like those from the
universities listed above.
The vast amount of research carried out via excavation and survey at
the Deserted Village and at other sites on Slievemore Mountain could
not have been accomplished without input from the students and
dedicated staff who participated in the field school since 1991. A
monograph detailing the excavations and surveys is currently nearing
completion with publication envisaged in 2007. It is also hoped that
the various Masters and PhD Theses undertaken by former students on
aspects of Achill Island's terrestrial and maritime archaeology will
be made available for dissemination to the public via publication or
through the AFS website.
In 2006, I was very pleased to receive emails from several of the
students who participated in the 1996 field school, reminding me that
it was 10-year since they had been to the school and were obviously
still feeling nostalgic! Many other students have expressed a wish
for a 'get-together' in Achill or the USA, so maybe John Bennett, a
former student (2003) and our Alumni administrator, might set the
ball rolling to see how many people would like to meet up, either in
the USA or Achill Island. Go for it!
All of us at the Field School appreciate the many emails, photos etc.
that former students send to the school from time to time, so please
do continue to keep in touch.
My best regards to you all.

Theresa McDonald