Maree Project at Prospecthill Neolithic Court Tomb 
Maree Peninsula, Ireland

Make your way to Galway City from Dublin or Shannon Airport to your home base in Galway City for the archaeological dig at Prospecthill.

​

Galway, known as the City of Tribes is a city filled with energy, history and a lively nightlife. The cobbled medieval streets are home to all sorts of pubs, craft shops and cafés. Head to Kirwan's lane where you’ll find musicians playing for the crowds or daredevil street performers defying danger. Kirwan's Lane is also home to relics of 16th and 17th century architecture.

​

During the course of the day, you’ll make your way to the modern, boutique-style Hyde Hotel where we will be staying for the next 6 nights. Check in at 3pm (if you’re early, feel free to drop your bags) The hotel is in the heart of Galway City and only about a minute from Eyre Square. It’s close to some of Galway’s best bars and restaurants and the cobbled Shop Street, the retail hub of Galway.

​

You'll meet your dig companions tonight for a Welcome Dinner before heading back to the Hyde Hotel to settle in for the night. Tomorrow starts the real adventure!

Accommodation: Imperial Hotel in Galway, Double Occupancy​

Meals: Welcome Dinner

Your work at Prospecthill takes place over the course of five days, where you will immerse yourself in the excavation, collection and study of artefacts, and recording of features at a site with a 5,000-year history! The huge upright stones were removed in the 1960s but what lies underneath—nobody really knows.

You will be among the first modern people to aid in the potential discovery of artifacts dating from Early Neolithic Ireland. This year, your work will entail excavation in search of this 'lost' tomb, and excavation of its internal area. You will be hands-on for the entire five days of this excavation, learning the methods of archaeological excavation and archaeological recording. This will allow you to immerse yourself in the excavation, collection and study of everything from artefacts to large features dating from the Irish Neolithic, the era of the first farmers.
 

Together with the site archaeologists, you will assist in unearthing the court tomb layout. Most of these courts were semi-circular with their open side facing outwards. Some were fully enclosed courts entered by a narrow passage, while others were open but have straight sides.

​

During your 5-day excavation, your days will consist of:

• Working with site directors, Dr. Noel McCarthy and Dr. Michelle Comber and other professional archaeologists. You'll also be working alongside Irish and international university students and local community participants.

• Archaeological fieldwork begins at 9am and ends at 5pm each day.

• You’ll break for mid-morning and lunch (It’s time to find your hearty packed lunch and enjoy a well-deserved break to your day.)

• At about 5pm each day, your driver will be waiting for you to escort you back to the hotel.​

• Evenings are free to relax and enjoy on your own

Accommodation: Imperial Hotel,  Double Occupancy​

Meals: Breakfast and a packed lunch each day

Monday through Thursday evenings, dinner is on your own

Friday we'll meet for a Farewell Dinner and head out for some lively Irish Trad music​

This morning, after breakfast at the hotel, we'll bid farewell, as our time excavating the remains of ancient Ireland has come to an end.

​

You’ll make your own way to Dublin or Shannon airport or any other additional travels. If you are boarding a flight, be sure to arrive at the airport at least three and a half hours before your flight. Transportation to and from the airport can be arranged for an additional fee.

Meals: Breakfast ​

You will be working under the supervision of the archaeologists for the duration of the excavation. Note that the tasks associated with working on an excavation can involve certain risks. Excavation work may involve difficult conditions, uneven terrain, unanticipated natural hazards, use of digging equipment, and/or strenuous manual labor. A general level of fitness is necessary for excavations, such as walking over uneven ground every day, kneeling, filling and carrying buckets of soil and stones. All activities will occur outdoors and are subject to the weather. 

This is a rural area, so expect to encounter pollen, wild vegetation, (like nettles) and insects - none of these are poisonous or very harmful in Ireland.

The Irish weather is notoriously changeable - rain, wind, sun all in one day; and sometimes even all at once! Generally, though, none of these are too extreme in summer and are easily managed with appropriate clothing.

On-site facilities are rustic. There are no bathrooms, but portable toilets will be available. There will also be a few on-site tents for daytime shelter.

Click here for more details on what to expect on an archaeology dig. 

​

Please pack:

1. Waterproof boots

2. Waterproof coat

3. Waterproof over-trousers

4. Clothes layers that can be removed

5. A hat for both rain and sun

6. Gardening gloves

7. Sunscreen

8. Allergy and other medications if needed

9. Water bottle

10. Backpack

Includes:

• Pricing is based on per person, double-occupancy.

• Single occupancy starts at €5,565.

• A €500 deposit is due upon booking. Final payment due on May 1, 2026

• Cancellations: Once a booking is confirmed and final payment is made, a 15% cancellation fee will be charged 43-56 days prior, a 25% cancellation fee will be charged 30-42 days prior, a 50% cancellation fee will be charged 30-42 days prior and cancellations under 7 days before the trip are 100% non-refundable. 

• All tools for archaeological excavation are provided, along with dedicated on-site training, instruction, and supervision.

• The cost of the dig includes funds to support the archaeological fieldwork and research at Prospecthill, including a contribution to artifact conservation and radiocarbon dating.

• 6 nights accommodations in Galway with breakfast included each morning

• All transportation to and from the site for 5 days

• Packed lunch, snacks and water each day for the dig site

• Welcome and farewell meals

Excludes:​

• International airfare

• Arrival and departure transportation to Galway accommodations. Airport transfers can be arranged for an additional cost.

• Any evening activities

• Lunch on your arrival and departure days

• Travel Insurance is mandatory 

• All other travel necessities /valid passports and visas, for travel from point of original departure through to the final destination are strictly the responsibility of the traveller.  ​​

1. What makes the Prospecthill significant?​
   TThe site lies at a notable juncture in the Irish landscape. It is at the western end of the Slí Mór, the ancient east-west routeway that extends across Ireland, as well as being in a coastal position offering access to routeways along the Atlantic seaboard. It is at the inner reaches of the sheltered Galway Bay within what was likely a busy Neolithic landscape. As the location was easy to access and surrounded by very fertile soils it would have been very attractive to the first farmers coming into the region in the early Neolithic. Understanding the role of the monument and precisely dating its construction will inform greatly upon this pivotal period in Ireland's past. The last upstanding remains of the monument were demolished in the 1960s after which, though the general location was known, the site was considered lost. Recent study has shown that the footprint of the site survives, indicating a c.40m long trapezoidal cairn and possible features within. The condition of the site offers the rare opportunity to investigate a Neolithic tomb without interfering with an upstanding example and thus not further diminishing a very finite resource. Few court tombs have been excavated in modern times, using modern excavation, analysis and dating techniques. Fewer still have been excavated in low-lying coastal areas, giving the opportunity to fill a void in the archaeological record and create a stronger narrative for this region of western Ireland.​

2. What has been most surprsing about your discoveries here? 
   The site has not previously been excavated, though 33 stone axes of possible Neolithic date have been found in the local area. In total 140 stone axes have been found on the Maree peninsula (c.14 sq. km) which is a very strong concentration in the west of Ireland.

3. What are your current research objectives at Prospecthill?
   The monument has been recorded as a court tomb but there is great variability in the actual layout of such tombs. This excavation will identify the form this tomb originally had as well as confirm its extent. The site is located quite a distance south of the main concentration of court tombs in Ireland. The excavation will investigate if the monument has the characteristics of these more northern forms, or follows that of a more southerly 'atypical court tomb'. The excavation will assess the condition of the sub-surface remains of the now demolished tomb and recover any artefacts and remains that survive within and around the tomb.​