Dún Ailinne Archaeological Field School

The Dun Ailinne site is a large circular enclosure located on the hill of Knockaulin in County Kildare Ireland. Documentary sources traditionally refer to it as one of four Irish ‘royal’ sites–significant pre-Christian social and political centers. Although the site has yielded evidence of activity since the Neolithic period, the site’s archaeological assemblage is dominated by Iron Age artifacts.  Excavations in the 1960s indicated that the site was an important center of ceremonial and ritual activity during the Irish Iron Age.

From 2006-2008, archaeologists from George Washington University (USA), New York University (USA), and the University of Galway (Ireland) conducted geophysical survey within the enclosure.  The results indicated a number of potential features outside of the concentrated area of the 1960s excavations.  Beginning in 2016, a field school comprised of students and researchers from George Washington University and New York University will conduct excavations to explore these finds further.

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