Fadó fadó. Once upon a time…. all the best stories start like that. But how do you go about weaving together a compelling narrative with historical and archaeological evidence? In this episode Neil is joined by Paul Duffy to discuss archaeological storytelling.

One of the most important and rewarding aspects of our work at Abarta Heritage is to try to tell the story of Ireland’s past in accessible and exciting ways, and in this episode of Amplify Archaeology Podcast, I had the opportunity to talk with a real master at this – Paul Duffy.

Paul is an experienced archaeologist and has directed numerous landmark excavations in Dublin as well as leading projects in Australia, France and the United Kingdom. He has published and lectured widely on this work, and his books include From Carrickfergus to Carcassonne—the Epic Deeds of Hugh de Lacy
during the Cathar Crusade (2018) and Ireland and the Crusades (2021). Paul has brought all of his insights and understandings of medieval Ireland to bear in his compelling new book Run with the Hare, Hunt with the Hound.

The book begins on a remote Gaelic farmstead in medieval Ireland, when word reaches Alberic of conquering Norman knights arriving from England. Oppressed by the social order that enslaved his Norman father, he yearns for the reckoning he believes the invaders will bring—but his world is about to burn. Captured by the Norman knight Hugo de Lacy and installed at Dublin Castle as a translator, Alberic’s confused loyalties are tested at every turn. When de Lacy marches inland, Alberic is set on a collision course with his former masters amidst rumours of a great Gaelic army rising in the west. Can Alberic navigate safely through revenge, lust and betrayal to find his place amidst the birth of a kingdom in a land of war?

Paul and I have a wide-ranging discussion that flows from the latest archaeological discoveries in Dublin to how to develop a character-driven story that balances evidence and narrative. I hope you enjoy the episode!

* as usual, this episode was recorded over Zoom, so please forgive any little audio wobbles.

Archaeological Storytelling – Key Discussion Points

• Paul’s view of Dublin based on his experience excavating around the city – 1 min 18 secs
• How has our perspective of Dublin’s medieval past changed through the recent excavations? – 3 min 12 secs
• Pre-Viking Dublin and the early settlement – 9 min 00 secs
• Using archaeological and historical evidence to inform a fictional narrative – 12 min 24 secs
• Why did Paul choose to set his story in the late 12th century? – 19 min 00 secs
• How much can you trust primary sources like Giraldus Cambrensis or draw influence from their style? – 21 min 48 secs
• Paul’s choice to centre his story on a slave rather than a warlord or elite member of society – 26 min 24 secs
• The balance and dance between complete accuracy and storytelling – 33 min 00 secs
• Will Alberic’s story continue? – 37 min 33 secs
• The importance of archaeological storytelling – 38 mins 51 secs

Show notes and links to further information

• You can find Paul’s website here.
• I can’t recommend his book Run with the Hare, Hunt with the Hound highly enough, it really helps you to picture what life was like in the tumultuous days of the Norman invasion. You can read a short review here.
• If you’re in the US you can preorder a copy direct from the publisher Cynren Press.
• If you’re in Ireland (or the UK or the rest of Europe) you can preorder from Book Depository.
• Paul also has another book out this month – as he is co-author of Ireland and the Crusades.
• Some of the images on this episode page feature the great Dave Swift of Claoimh. Check out Dave’s fantastic work here.
• At Abarta we’ve also tried our hand at writing fictional accounts based on archaeological evidence. Most relevant to this is our audiobook Meitheal, a series of interwoven tales from early medieval Ireland. You can hear that free here.
• Or our audiobook The Unsilent Stones where you can meet the residents of Athlone’s Abbey Graveyard. From 8th century kings to tavern keepers. You can find that here.
• Paul recently gave a great lecture as part of our Tuatha Talk webinar series. Our members can watch that back here.
• If you’d like to delve deeper into the stories of Ireland, with articles on places to visit, itineraries for days out, online courses and more – you might enjoy joining Tuatha. You can find us here.