I spent yesterday researching and organising things for Smelt 2010 which is fast creeping up on me. One of the fancy things I'd like to do for the smelt is some time-lapse photography so I devoted a bit of time to figuring out how my still relatively new digital slr works; familiarising myself a bit more with terms like apeture, shutter-speed and ISO. The result is a test video of me working for a couple of hours in my little home office: 

It reveals a weird tendency to play with my beard (shared by all bearded men i'd imagine) and a dangerous sedentism that reminds me how much exercise I don't do. 

Besides that, preparations are coming along and the Smelt will go ahead on the 6th and 7th of March. The one big thing I need to sort out is a bellows system, which I will make if need s be but I would be more than happy to borrow if someone would like to donate!

For people who would like to come to see the smelt (taking place in the Irish National Heritage Park in Co. Wexford) the schedule will hopefully run as follows: 

Friday 5th - I'll be there prepping and setting up the smelting area and probably starting construction of the furnace
Saturday 6th - Completion of furnace and pre-firing with wood. Ore preparation and roasting. 
Sunday 7th - The smelt (volunteers needed!)
Monday 8th - Clean up

All are welcome to come but if you can't make it I will be putting up videos and images from the smelt on the project's website.

Ok, so I correctly identified WOGE 80 over at the Moore Group blog so I get to pick the next site. The idea is you have to identify the site in the picture below and its major period of occupation. If you know it, post a comment and then you get to host WOGE 82.

You can follow the game on facebook.

Q: What is When on Google Earth?
A: It’s a game for archaeologists, or anybody else willing to have a go!

Q: How do you play it?
A: Simple, you try to identify the site in the picture.

Q: Who wins?
A: The first person to correctly identify the site, including its major period of occupation, wins the game.

Q: What does the winner get?
A: The winner gets bragging rights and the chance to host the next When on Google Earth on his/her own blog!

Be the first to correctly identify the site below and its major period of occupation in the comments below and you can host your own!

After a little thinking I have decided to seperate off my C.V. and publications to my personal site. 

I think this makes more sense as the casual visitor to the Seandalaiocht site generally has no interest in my employment history. It'll also give me a bit of space and - now it's done - some time to fix up the links, video and image sections.  

If all those head-hunters out there are looking for more info on me I'd prefer its all on one clean site free of rants and ramblings. This may mean some broken links to files and pages on Seandalaiocht in the short term but I'll fix them as I find 'em. 

Readers may be interested in a brilliant opportunity to get involved in a project reconstructing a large currach based on the Boyne-type currachs used up until the twentieth century. 

This summer the project will be experimenting with methods of transporting stone based on theoretical ideas about how stone was transported from various places on the east coast of Ireland to Newgrange and there are further plans for next year. The film company Crossing the Line Films is involved on the project. They were previously involved in the extremely professional production of  Blood of the Irish. 

I was involved in a similar project based in Denmark which resulted in the sailing of a reconstructed viking ship called the Sea Stallion from Roskilde to Dublin and back. I can highly recommend it and if I can find the time I might get involved myself.

I'd strongly advise a look at the superb website and encourage people to get involved in a project that represents an exceedingly rare opportunity.

A new series of the UTV programme Hidden Heritage has started recently and is available from the UTV Player. You can read summaries of the four episodes here and catch the first one for the next month here. 

From a brief look at the first episode it seems to have some good interviews with some familiar faces. It covers old ground but in an interesting way for the short format. Well worth a look.