Robert M Chapple, Archaeologist

John de Courcy arriving at Carrickfergus Castle (Photo: Author) When I first lodged a complaint of plagiarism against Prof Andrew Bevan and a number of his colleagues at UCL and University of Portsmouth I had no real idea where it was going to go [ read more here ]. I certainly had no inclination that it would leave me with the reputation as a staunch advocate for the rights of the plagiarised. Since the publication of that piece, I have been honoured to receive the trust of several researchers who have shared their experiences. I have attempted to listen with compassion and give the best, most constructive advice I possibly could. All the while my disgust at plagiarism and plagiarisers has only intensified and grown. It was in this guise that my dear friend, Dr Nic Wright, recently contacted me. He had been doing some light reading on John de Courcy, that well-known Anglo-Norman knight and general trouble maker who arrived in Ireland at the end of the 12th century and went on t...

I was hunting about today, trying to decide which of my diminishing backlog of unreleased pieces I'd publish next, when an email arrived from Greer Ramsey at the Ulster Museum [ Facebook | Website ]. He brought a short video to my attention about two pieces of Late Bronze Age gold work from Northern Ireland, purchased for the museum through the Treasure Act process. These are the  Inch Bulla  from near Downpatrick, Co. Down, and the  Corrard Torc  from Co. Fermanagh. Funding was made available from the Art Fund and The Headley Trust to help with the interpretation of material purchased by Museums under the Treasure Act. Take a look - whether you're a professional archaeologist or a non specialist there's much to enjoy here, from putting these beautiful pieces in their archaeological and cultural contexts, to just appreciating viewing them as fantastic examples of the goldsmith's art. Enjoy! Anyone wanting to find out more about Irish Bronze Age gold wor...

It’s no secret that I’m a big fan of Abarta Audioguides [ Website ]. I’m also a big fan of Terry O’Hagan & his endlessly informative & entertaining Vox Hiberionacum blog [ Blog | Facebook ] … so when I heard that they were coming together to create an audioguide to the life of Saint Patrick, I was immediately interested. I was even more thrilled when Neil Jackman at Abarta offered me the opportunity to get a preview listen to it! I’m not going to give a particularly long winded and in-depth review of it – I’m just going to say that it’s brilliant and if you have even the slightest interest in who St. Patrick really was and want to know more about ‘the man behind the saint’, this is definitely for you! I’m no particular scholar of Patrick, but I really found the text (beautifully narrated by Gerry O’Brien) to be open and engaging – no matter your level of knowledge, you will not feel patronised or talked down to in any way … there is no ‘dumbing down’ for a perceived ‘lay...