TY Work Experience Report

I spent my last term of work experience in Transition Year in Coláiste an Eachréidh working with Galway Community Archaeologist, Bernie Doherty. During my work I learnt a lot about Archaeology. We went to various sites such as forts and ruins, and I learned a lot about the sites and their history, but also about all the hard work that goes into conserving them. 

Working Day to Day

I learnt about all sides of working in Archaeology, from the site visits to working remotely on Conservation Management Plans. A few of the sites I visited were St. Brendan’s Cathedral in Clonfert and the church ruins in Kilboght. Not only did I go out on site visits, but I also worked remotely with Bernie, learning about Conservation Management plans, Sketching and drawing carvings and learning about technological advancements in Archaeology. 

Sites Visited

We went to three sites during my time working, Kilcornan Enclosure, St. Brendan’s Cathedral and Kilboght.  At St. Brendan’s Cathedral we met with Dr. Christy Cunniffe, former Galway Community Archaeologist, where he gave us a guided tour of the Cathedral and its history such as St. Brendan’s backstory and where he is said to be buried, the styles of art used on the carvings on the West Doorway and he told us how the site stood through the test of time to be here today.  

Launch of Book

We also visited Kilboght, where we heard about the history of the area from a relative of a family buried there, Mona Monahan. She told us what it was like growing up by Kilboght and how important the restoration was to her family. Bernie also gave us a guided tour and showed us what the Church might have looked like back in the day and told us about all the work that Peggy Monahan put into the site. They launched a book about the site so people can learn more about its history called “Kilboght – Church of the Poor”.

Final Report

I was assigned by Bernie to post a report on the Galway Community Heritage Website. I wrote this report along with one about a Day trip for ICOMOS Monuments and Sites Day 2026 and I learnt a lot on how websites like this can be incredibly helpful to people who would like to know the history of the local area. 

To finish, I had a great time working alongside Bernie over my work experience. I learnt so much about Archaeology itself as a job, and also a lot of the history of Galway that I never knew about.