Irish Hillforts

Dig into the Story of Irish Hillforts in Amplify Archaeology Podcast Episode 43 with Dr James O’Driscoll

Irish Hillforts are some of our largest monuments, though until recently they remained relatively enigmatic. In recent years Dr James O’Driscoll has started to uncover their story, he tells us all about it in this episode of Amplify Archaeology Podcast.

The name ‘hillfort’ is quite descriptive, as at first glance they appear as well, large forts on top of hills. Though the work of Dr James O’Driscoll and colleagues have revealed that they have a far more interesting and nuanced tale to tell. A programme of survey and excavation carried out by James, Prof. William O’Brien and colleagues discovered much about the nature and chronology of Irish hillforts, along with the types of activities that were carried out within them.

This discussion teases out the question of what is a hillfort, the types of landscape that they can be found in, their period and how that compares with similar monuments in the UK and elsewhere, and what they might tell us about territoriality, trade, culture and landscape in the past.

Dr James O’Driscoll lectures in the University of Glasgow. James’ primary research is focused on the application of remote sensing and GIS based techniques in archaeology, with particular emphasis on prehistoric enclosures and Bronze Age hillforts, their contemporary landscapes and socio-economic setting. James has co-authored two important books on the subject, Hillforts, Warfare and Society in Bronze Age Ireland, and the recently published Baltinglass and the Prehistoric Hillforts of Ireland. 

Amplify Archaeology Podcast is sponsored by Tuatha, an online membership with a growing community of like-minded people who love exploring Ireland’s sites, landscapes and heritage. You can find out more and start your own Irish archaeological adventure at tuatha.ie.

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