This is the second part of an in-depth discussion with Professor Gabriel Cooney on his landmark publication – Death in Irish Prehistory.

The new publication Death in Irish Prehistory covers life and death over 8,500 years in Ireland. The book explores the richness of the mortuary record that we have for Irish prehistory (8000 BC to AD 500) as a highlight of the archaeological record for that long period of time. Because we are dealing with how people coped with death, this rich and diverse record of mortuary practice is also relevant to understanding how we deal with death today, which is just as central a social issue as it always was. Written by Professor Gabriel Cooney, and beautifully illustrated by Conor McHale, the book is a landmark publication for Irish archaeology. It is thoughtful, insightful and beautifully produced, and helps to humanise those who walked before us, some millennia ago.

In this episode of Amplify Archaeology Podcast, Neil has an in depth discussion with the author of Death in Irish Prehistory, Professor Gabriel Cooney. In this second and final part, we take a chronological approach and look at continuity, change and belief over 8,500 years. If you haven’t heard the first part, you can find that here.

With the exception of the banner that features an aerial image of a tomb at Carrowkeel, the images here are all courtesy of the Royal Irish Academy.

Death in Irish Prehistory Part 2 – Key Discussion Points

• Death in the Mesolithic Period – 1 min 55 secs
• Death in the Neolithic Period – 12 min 03 secs
• Death in the Chalcolithic Period – 23 min 34 secs
• Death in the Bronze Age – 29 min 00 secs
• Death in the Iron Age – 51 min 02 secs
• People’s connection to prehistoric mortuary sites today – 1 hour 8 min 18 secs

Show notes and links to further information

• If you didn’t hear the first part, I recommend checking that out here.
• Again I can’t recommend the book highly enough! You can purchase a copy here.
• Please do leave us a review on Spotify or Apple Podcasts if you can, or share the episode using the podcast #AmplifyArchaeology – it really does help us to be found so I’d be very grateful!
• If you’d like to dig deeper into the stories of Ireland you’ll love our new membership service Tuatha. You’ll find online courses on Irish archaeology and heritage, articles on places to visit (including lots of the sites discussed in this podcast), itineraries for great days out (including one on the Boyne Valley featuring a number of the megalithic tombs discussed here), opportunities to join us on our monthly lecture series and on our tours, and lots more! You can learn more and sign up here.
• You can now purchase a gift membership to Tuatha, so if you have an archaeology aficionado in your life, or someone who loves going exploring Ireland’s ancient monuments, consider making the past their present. You can find monthly or annual vouchers here.