Exploring the Gray Zone between Archaeology, Historical Records, and Oral History: Developing a Residential Biography of Building 57, Inishark, Co. Galway, Ireland

Summary

This is an abstract from the "Making Historical Archaeology Matter: Rethinking an Engaged Archaeology of Nineteenth- to Twenty-First-Century Rural Communities of Western Ireland and Southern Italy" session, at the 89th annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology.

How do historical archaeologists reconstruct the life-history of residential buildings, and to what extent can archaeology, ethnography, and oral history be combined to generate a life history? The concept of house and home is, of course, culturally, historically, and personally defined. Drawing on archaeological excavations and ethnoarchaeological and oral history research from Inishark, Ireland, we put forth a residential biography of building 57 excavated in 2018 by the Cultural Landscapes of the Irish Coast project. Situated on the western end of the historic village of Inishark, on an island located seven miles off the mainland, building 57 is dry-laid stone structure that was occupied for at least 100 years. Originally a residence, modified many times and lived in by several different families, in its later years the building was converted into a shed to story equipment and food. Based on archaeological excavations and interviews with islanders, we explore the process of homemaking in general, how islanders created social spaces, how they used inside and outside spaces, and how they repurposed the building. This research illustrates how the mobility of islanders between physical residences within islands, often linked to moments in life history, is far greater than previously believed.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Making Historical Archaeology Matter: Rethinking an Engaged Archaeology of Nineteenth- to Twenty-First-Century Rural Communities of Western Ireland and Southern Italy   •
• Society for American Archaeology 89th Annual Meeting, New Orleans, LA (2024)

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Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 39982.0