Dr James O'Driscoll
- Lecturer in Geospatial Archaeology (Archaeology)
email:
James.ODriscoll@glasgow.ac.uk
pronouns:
He/him/his
https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8806-6394Biography
ORCiD: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8806-6394
Academia.edu: https://glasgow.academia.edu/JamesODriscoll
Research interests
Being a specialist in remote sensing, GIS, excavation practice and landscape archaeology has allowed me to have a diverse range of both practical and thematic research interests.
From a practical setting, I am interested in how new technologies can be used and integrated into archaeological practice. This includes:
- Satellite-based remote sensing for archaeology
- Large-scale applications of terrestrial geophysics
- Drone based survey
- Three-dimensional landscape modelling using LiDAR and photogrammetry
- Artefact laser scanning and 3D printing
- Analytical GIS and spatial analysis
I use these techniques to research a diverse set of thematic and period specific interests, such as:
- Early Neolithic farming communities in Ireland and Britain
- Bronze, Iron Age and early medieval hillfort landscapes in north-western Europe
- The Iron Age ritual complexes of Ireland and Northern Ireland
- Native proto-urban hilltop centres of Bronze and Roman Iron Age Britain
I have worked on a number of high impact projects including: The Atlas of British and Irish Hillforts, the Hillforts, the Hillforts, Warfare and Society in Bronze Age Ireland project and the Comparative Kingship project. Some of my current projects include:
- Survey and Excavations in the Navan Fort landscape, Northern Ireland
- The Development of Bronze Age Proto Urban Centres in North-West Europe
- The prehistoric Baltinglass Landscape, Ireland
- The Neolithic cursus monuments of Ireland
- Early Neolithic Fringes: The Development of Enclosure in Ireland and Northern Britain
Publications
Prior publications
Book Section
James O'Driscoll (2025) Geophysical Survey at Knockeen Hillfort, Co. Wicklow James O'Driscoll.
James O'Driscoll (2019) Fortified settlement in early medieval northern Britain and Ireland James O'Driscoll.
James O'Driscoll (2019) The Baltinglass hillfort cluster in the context of the Irish hillfort phenomenon: an initial view James O'Driscoll.
O'Driscoll, J., Hawkes, A., O'Brien, W. (2019) The Irish Hillfort Scopus - Elsevier. ISBN 9781789692273
James O'Driscoll (2018) Warfare and the burning of hillforts in Bronze Age Ireland James O'Driscoll.
James O'Driscoll (2013) Ballybrowney Lower — a geophysical survey James O'Driscoll.
Article
James O'Driscoll (2024) Exploring the Baltinglass cursus complex: routes for the dead Crossref. (doi: 10.15184/aqy.2024.39)
James O'Driscoll (2024) Defining the Sanctissimus: The Early Medieval Church Enclosures of Pictland James O'Driscoll.
James O’Driscoll (2023) Head for the Hills: Nucleated Hilltop Settlement in the Irish Bronze Age Crossref. (doi: 10.1007/s10963-023-09172-8)
James O'Driscoll (2023) In search of the Picts at Aberlemno James O'Driscoll.
James O'Driscoll (2023) Radiocarbon dating of human remains from Navan Fort: their implications for understanding the wider ceremonial complex James O'Driscoll.
O’Driscoll, J. (2022) CHEVAUX DE FRISE OF THE IRISH AND BRITISH ISLES Scopus - Elsevier. ISSN 14680092 02625253 (doi: 10.1111/ojoa.12234)
James O'Driscoll (2022) Rathgall: Piecing together the mosaic of a Later Prehistoric landscape James O'Driscoll.
Edouard Masson-MacLean, James O’Driscoll, Cathy McIver, Gordon Noble (2021) Digitally Recording Excavations on a Budget: A (Low-Cost) DIY Approach from Scotland Crossref. (doi: 10.1080/00934690.2021.1970444)
O’Driscoll, J., Gleeson, P. (2021) Locating historical Dún Bolg and the early medieval landscape of Baltinglass, Co. Wicklow Scopus - Elsevier. ISSN 20090048 00358991 (doi: 10.1353/RIA.2021.0003)
Noble, G., Evans, N., Hamilton, D., MacIver, C., Masson-Maclean, E., O’Driscoll, J. (2020) Dunnicaer, Aberdeenshire, Scotland: a Roman Iron Age promontory fort beyond the frontier Scopus - Elsevier. ISSN 23732288 00665983 (doi: 10.1080/00665983.2020.1724050)
James O'Driscoll (2020) New dates for enclosed sites in north-east Scotland James O'Driscoll.
O'Driscoll, J., Gleeson, P., Noble, G. (2020) RE-IMAGINING NAVAN FORT: NEW LIGHT ON THE EVOLUTION OF A MAJOR CEREMONIAL CENTRE IN NORTHERN EUROPE Scopus - Elsevier. ISSN 14680092 02625253 (doi: 10.1111/ojoa.12198)
James O'Driscoll (2020) Survey and excavation at an Iron Age enclosure complex on Turin Hill and environs James O'Driscoll.
Hall, M., Evans, N., Hamilton, D., Mitchell, J., O'driscoll, J., Noble, G. (2020) Warrior ideologies in first-millennium AD Europe: new light on monumental warrior stelae from Scotland Scopus - Elsevier. ISSN 0003598X (doi: 10.15184/aqy.2019.214)
James O'Driscoll (2019) A Case Study for Landscape Applications of Drone and Photogrammetry Techniques: Faha and Caherconree Hillforts James O'Driscoll.
O’Driscoll, J. (2019) Picture Perfect: Using Drone Technology and Photogrammetry Techniques to Map the Western Stone Forts of Ireland Scopus - Elsevier. ISSN 20424582 00934690 (doi: 10.1080/00934690.2019.1570580)
O'Driscoll, J. (2018) Landscape applications of photogrammetry using unmanned aerial vehicles Scopus - Elsevier. ISSN 2352409X (doi: 10.1016/j.jasrep.2018.09.010)
James O'Driscoll (2017) A multi-layered model for Bronze Age hillforts in Ireland and Europe James O'Driscoll.
O’Driscoll, J. (2017) Hillforts in prehistoric Ireland: a costly display of power? Scopus - Elsevier. ISSN 14701375 00438243 (doi: 10.1080/00438243.2017.1282379)
James O'Driscoll (2017) Ireland's 'hillfort capital' revisited James O'Driscoll.
O'Driscoll, J. (2017) Landscape prominence: Examining the topographical position of Irish hillforts using a cumulative viewshed approach Scopus - Elsevier. ISSN 2352409X (doi: 10.1016/j.jasrep.2017.09.033)
James O'Driscoll (2016) Archaeological Investigations at Ballylin Hillfort, Co. Limerick James O'Driscoll.
James O'Driscoll (2016) Grange stone circle, Lough Gur, Co. Limerick: geophysical survey at Stone Circles B, C and D and review of dating and phases of monument use of Circle B James O'Driscoll.
James O'Driscoll (2015) Archaeological investigations at Toor More (Corrandhu) hillfort, Co. Kilkenny James O'Driscoll.
James O'Driscoll (2015) Hillfort construction at Baltinglass: building Irelands hillfort capital. James O'Driscoll.
James O'Driscoll (2014) Archaeological remains and geophysical surveys at Lough Gur and Grange stone circle James O'Driscoll.
James O'Driscoll (2012) A fulacht fiadh reconstruction at Rathbarry, Co. Cork. James O'Driscoll.
James O'Driscoll (2023) New zooarchaeological evidence from Pictish sites in Scotland: implications for early medieval economies and animal-human relationships James O'Driscoll.
James O'Driscoll (2016) Glanbane hillfort and the Bronze Age in Kerry James O'Driscoll.
Conference Proceedings
Noble, G. et al. (2018) Kinneddar: a major ecclesiastical centre of the Picts Scopus - Elsevier. ISSN 2056743X 00811564 (doi: 10.9750/PSAS.148.1271)
Book
O’Brien, W., O’Driscoll, J. (2017) Hillforts, warfare and society in bronze age Ireland Scopus - Elsevier. ISBN 9781784916565 (doi: 10.2307/j.ctv1pzk180)
Grants
Recent Grant Funding
Funder: Royal Irish Academy (2023 - 2024) (PI) Title: Keadeen cursus excavation program. Amount: €20,000
Funder: Royal Irish Academy (2023 - 2024) (PI) Title: Multi-isotope analysis of the Late Bronze Age ritual pool of the King’s Stables, Co. Armagh. Amount: £5,000
Funder: Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage (2022) (PI) Title: Large-scale LiDAR survey of the Baltinglass archaeological landscape, Co. Wicklow. Amount: €30,000
Funder: Wicklow County Council (2023 - 2024) (PI) Title: Subvention fund for a book titled: The Prehistoric Landscape of Baltinglass. Amount: £16,000
Funder: Historic Environment Division, Northern Ireland (2022 - 2023) (Co-PI) Title: Novel multi-sensor Ground Penetrating Radar survey at Navan Fort and Haughey’s Fort, Northern Ireland. Amount: £10,000
Funder: Armagh, Banbridge and Newry Council (2022 - 2023) (Co-PI) Title: Excavations at Navan Fort, Northern Ireland. Amount: £32,000
Funder: Royal Irish Academy (2022) (PI) Title: Geophysical survey of the Creevroe earthworks: an undiscovered mega-hillfort in the Navan landscape Amount: £4,500
Funder: Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage (2022) (PI) Title: Large-scale LiDAR survey of the Baltinglass archaeological landscape, Co. Wicklow. Amount: €30,000
Funder: Royal Archaeological Institute (2022) (PI) Title: Boom towns or regional assemblies: the great hillforts of northern Britain. Amount: £5,000
Funder: Proceeding of the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland (2021) (PI) Title: Re-dating Bonchester Hillfort. Amount: £3,132
Funder: Royal Irish Academy (2021) (PI) Title: Geophysical Survey at Haughey’s Fort, Co. Armagh. Amount: £1,960
Funder: Royal Irish Academy (2021) (CO-PI) Title: Understanding the deposition sites of the Navan Landscape. Amount: £1,650
Funder: Historic Environment Scotland (2020) (CO-I) Title: The Citadel Project: Excavations at Burghead. Amount: £257,000
Funder: IRC/AHRC (2020) UK-Ireland Collaboration in the Digital Humanities Networking Call (CO-I) Title: Communicating Hidden Archaeological Monuments and Landscapes through Advanced Digital Technologies. Amount: £35,000
Funder: Römisch-Germanische Kommission (2019) Short Research Fellowship. Amount: £1,500
Funder: Heritage Council (2017) (PI) Title: Drone photogrammetry survey at Spinans Hill, Wickow. Amount: €4,000
Funder: Royal Irish Academy (2016) (PI) Title: Three-dimensional modelling of the Western Stone Forts. Amount: €4,735
Funder: Cork Historical and Archaeological Society (2014) (PI) Title: Geophysical survey at Cloughdub. Amount: €500
Funder: Kildare Historical Society (2013) (PI) Title: Geophysical survey at Brewel Hill, Co Wicklow. Amount: €1000
Funder: Irish Research Council (2013–2016) PhD scholarship Title: The Baltinglass landscape and the Bronze Age hillforts of Ireland. Amount: €70,500
Funder: University College Cork (2008–2010) Teaching Scholarship Title: An archaeo-geophysical survey of the Garranes ringfort landscape and environs. Amount: €11,000
Supervision
I welcome potential PhD and postdoctoral projects in any of the following areas:
- remote sensing and geophysical survey
- landscape applications of GIS and spatial analysis
- drone-based survey in archaeology
- Neolithic monumentality in North-Western Europe
- the development of urbanity in North-Western Europe
- hillforts
- later prehistoric landscapes in Ireland and Britain
- the archaeologies of prehistoric confilict
Teaching
The Archaeology of Scotland (Level 1) (Convenor)
GIS for Archaeological Projects (Honours and Masters) (Convenor)
Landscape Archaeologies (Masters)
Additional information
Qualifications
PhD Archaeology: University College Cork 2013-2016 (1 of 245 PhD scholarships (18% success rate) funded by the Irish Research Council in 2013, of which 110 were humanities based
- Title: The Baltinglass Landscape and the Prehistoric Hillforts of Ireland
- External examiner: Sir Barry Cunliffe
- Funding: Irish Research Council
HDip Geographical Information Systems: University College Cork 2013-2014
- Funding: Department of Archaeology, UCC
MPhil (first class honors) Archaeology University College Cork 2008-2010: (funded by the Department of Archaeology, UCC as part of a teaching scholarship)
- Title: An Archaeo-geophysical Survey of the Garranes Ringfort Landscape
- External examiner: Dr. Robert Johnson
- Funding: Department of Archaeology, UCC
BA (Hons) (first class honours) Archaeology and Celtic Civilisation Studies: University College Cork 2005-2008
