Shaky foundations: Romantic nationalism and the development of the 'Irish model' of Neolithic settlement

The traditional Irish cottage became a symbol of national identity in the period leading-up to independence from Britain in the early twentieth century. Post-colonial Ireland defined itself as a rural nation, with the small-scale farming communities of the Atlantic seaboard its cultural heartland. It was at this time that archaeology was transformed from a niche pastime of the upper classes to a ‘national discipline’, supported by institutions of state. The challenge for newly professionalised discipline was to trace the roots of the national character back into the mists of antiquity. It was anticipated that the vernacular farmscape, with its cottages and field systems, would have its roots in the Neolithic—the time of the arrival of Ireland’s first farmers. And so it proved, with the discovery of sites such as the Lough Gur Neolithic village, the Ballyglass house, and the Céide Fields. These sites form the basis of the ‘Irish model’ of Neolithic settlement. This paper asks whether, stripped of the weight of disciplinary expectations, the interpretation of these and similar sites stands-up to objective scrutiny.