Maree Project at Prospecthill Neolithic Court & Portal Tombs 
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.

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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.

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Check in at the Imperial 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.

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Accommodation: Imperial Hotel in Galway

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 6,000-year history! 

You will be hands-on in the quest to unearth both the court tomb and portal tomb found at this site, along with artifacts dating from Early Neolithic Ireland. This five day excavation includes training in 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.
 

In 2027, alongside archaeologists Dr. Noel McCarthy and Dr. Michelle Comber, you will assist in unearthing the court tomb and portal tomb layouts and associated artifacts. 

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

• Working with site directors, Dr. Noel McCarthy and Dr. Michelle Comber. 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

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Physical Requirements: Archaeology and paleontology fieldwork can be physically demanding, often requiring participants to walk over uneven terrain, stand for extended periods, bend, kneel, crouch, and work outdoors in varying weather conditions. Digging and excavation may involve using hand tools, brushes, shovels, or picks, as well as lifting and carrying equipment, soil, rocks, or specimens. Participants should generally have enough mobility, balance, strength, and stamina to perform these activities safely, although specific physical requirements vary considerably by excavation and can often be accommodated with advance notice. Click here for more details on what to expect on a archaeology dig. 

Accommodation: Imperial Hotel​

Meals: Breakfast and a packed lunch each day

2 dinners are included​​

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Read this article about the discoveries made in 2026 at Prospecthill

This morning, after breakfast at the hotel, we’ll set out to join a 10:30am guided tour of the Galway City Museum—an experience that brings the city’s rich past vividly to life. As we explore the museum’s fascinating archaeological collections, we’ll uncover the story of Galway’s evolution—from its origins to the vibrant city we see today. Along the way, we’ll learn about the Claddagh, delve into the revolutionary spirit of the early 20th century, and trace the threads of history that have shaped this remarkable corner of Ireland.

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From there, ​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. 

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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:

• €3620 pricing is based on per person, shared room/double occupancy

• Single occupancy starts at €4,570

• When booking, choose from THREE DIFFERENT DIG WEEKS starting June 27, July 4 or July 11.

• A €500 deposit is due upon booking. If a cancellation is made 8 weeks prior to departure, loss of deposit.

• 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 8-29 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

• 2 dinners

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?​
   The 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.​