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Paul Irish
What
is your current position?
I work as a consultant archaeologist dealing with Aboriginal archaeology and run my own jobs as well as working for other consultants. I have a strong interest in Aboriginal history and have run historical research programs as well as doing research in my own time. I have also worked for the NSW National Parks & Wildlife Service and the NSW Aboriginal Land Council.
Where
did you study archaeology?
I studied a Bachelor of Arts with a Major in Prehistory at Sydney University (1993–95). Then I completed a Masters Degree in Prehistoric Archaeology at the University of Copenhagen in Denmark (1996–99).
How
did you become interested in archaeology?
I think I have always been interested in people generally and in trying to understand why they do the things they do. My parents tell me that when I was little we visited the Roman ruins at Bath in England and I commented on how their utensils looked just like ours, so I guess I have always been interested in how people used to do things too. I started studying Ancient History, Archaeology and Psychology at university but it was archaeology that I became most interested in, and in particular Aboriginal archaeology.
What
archaeological projects are you working on at the moment?
I am mostly involved with survey and excavation projects around the Sydney area at the moment. However, I often work outside of Sydney and interstate sometimes as well.
Tell
us about one of your most interesting archaeological discoveries.
Probably the most interesting experience was an excavation at Kurnell in southern Sydney where a sand dune was peeled back to uncover a massive campsite (shell midden) in pristine condition. It had campfires and even the remains of single meals so you could really imagine how people had used this place.
It had been used right up until (or maybe even after) the arrival of Europeans in the area. Nearby is another midden facing out to sea which has European artefacts in it. You can just imagine people at these sites witnessing the arrival of Captain Cook and later, the First Fleet.
Tell
us about a funny/disastrous/amazing experience that you have had
while doing archaeology.
Soon after I started doing archaeology, I was involved in a survey in Cape York mapping the location and size of shell middens along a croc-infested river. Only problem was all the bumping on the rough road up from Cairns had left some holes in the tinny we were using. We had gotten it fixed but it was (of course) only once we got way up the river that we realised it was not quite watertight and had to constantly bail to keep us above water! Scary experience for a city slicker!
What’s
your favourite part of being an archaeologist?
There are many things I like, such as the range of Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal people I get to work with, the range of interesting places and sites I experience, and just the opportunity to get outdoors, especially in the bush.
As well as finding out about the archaeology of an area, I also like learning about the Aboriginal history of different places, because it is often “hidden” and not included in existing history books. I find that fascinating.
Follow
up reading:
Irish, P. 2004. When is a scar a scar. Evaluating scarred and marked trees at Sydney Olympic Park, Australian Archaeology 59:59-61.
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