I'm presenting at a very interesting and unique conference next month in Dundalk. Its not your average archaeology conference, in fact I'm probably the only archaeologist speaking at it but it will be exploring some interesting ideas about approaching the future through the lens of the past. 

See below for the official blurb.

The County Museum, Dundalk, is hosting a one-day conference, Reach the Future through the Past, on Wednesday 25 August 2010. The conference will explore the use of innovation in a heritage setting, and will examine new ways of promoting concepts of heritage and identity through the use of new technologies. The conference title is inspired by a line in Paul Brady’s The Island, and the purpose of the conference is to apply new ways of cultural and commercial thinking to Irish identity and to the historic Irish experience.

Conference organiser, Brian Walsh:

“Last year, the Global Irish Conference held at Farmleigh attracted representatives of the Irish diaspora and the CEOs of several multinational companies. One of the remarkable features of the conference was that the large number of CEOs who chose to attend the cultural – rather than the business - workshops. This is what gave me the idea that we should explore this theme further. The purpose of our conference here in Dundalk is to find ways of seeking inspiration from the past, and to find new ways of applying and presenting this.”

One of the main themes of the day will be how to innovatively promote and popularize history, identity, archaeology and culture to wider audiences. 

The international panel of speakers is drawn from a diverse range of backgrounds: academia, archaeology, animation, broadcasting and business. Speakers include Mary Hawkes-Green (founder, Burren College Art and Design); Brian Dolan (founder, seandalaiocht.com); Ciaran McGuinness (Archer Heritage Planning); Paul Young (co-founder Cartoon Saloon and producer of The Secret of Kells); and Yanky Fachler (historian, business trainer, and author of 6 Officers, 2 Lions, and 750 Mules).

Admission to the conference is free, but prior booking is essential.

For all enquiries, please contact Brian Walsh at the County Museum, Dundalk,+353 42-9327056, Brian.Walsh@dundalktown.ie.

A new blog has been launched inviting feedback on the future of St James's Graveyard, Dublin 8. The graveyard dates back to a little after the Norman invasion of Ireland in the twelfth century but went out of use in the twentieth century. The land is to be transferred to Dublin City Council and, laudably, they are consulting the wider public about how the space should be treated.

There are a number of old graveyards dotted around Dublin city which can easily be missed. Two better known ones include the Huguenot Cemetery off St Stephen's Green and the old graveyard beside Donnybrook Garda Station. These are little-used spaces, relatively inaccessible to the public, but they do preserve a certain solitude and dignity which can sometimes be lost when graveyards fall out of use. 

Wolf Tone Square, formerly the graveyard of St Mary's church on the corner of Jervis Street and Mary Street is a case in point. After the graveyard's decline in the twentieth century its gravestones were removed and piled, rather forlornly, against the wall at the south end, where they remain today apart from a fe set into the ground. Recent redevelopment of the graveyard as a public square has been less than successful. A bland, non-interactive design combining with its use as a drinking spot to make it a non-destination for Dubliners even during the day. 

Its difficult to know what to do with cemeteries when they go out of use, modern sensibilities cringe at the thought of 'walking on graves' although our ancestors had no such qualms, often holding markets and fairs on what was often a very convenient open space. I'm not sure what should be done with St James's graveyard but i hope the solution is neither as bland as  Wolfe Tone Square nor as inaccessible as the Huguenot Cemetery. 

A blend of modern use with a respect for the past is usually the best approach. Graveyards are always fascinating and often very tranquil places, maybe preserving these two assets should be the main goal of the Council when planning for the future of St James's graveyard.