Overview
Built in 1,169 CE, Ferrycarrig is crucial to our understanding of the earliest stages of the Anglo-Norman invasion of Ireland. Probably one of the first permanent Norman fortifications to be built in Ireland, the site comprised a ringwork castle placed on a natural promontory overlooking the River Slaney and Wexford town. Today, the bank and ditch are all that remain above the ground but archaeological excavations in the 1980’s and our own work in winter 2018 uncovered significant evidence of the fortifications and original 13th century structures preserved below ground.
Ferrycarrig is located within the Irish National Heritage Park, an open-air museum which recreates the key stages in Ireland’s past, providing a stunning backdrop to the archaeological research site. Students will be exposed not only to archaeological investigation at the site but also to the many and myriad ways by which the public is presented, view and interpret the archaeological record.
Instructors
The directors welcome emails and inquiries about the research elements of this project. More general information (tuition, health insurance, and payment schedule) can be found under the ‘Students’ tab above. Any further questions may be addressed to IFR staff. Additional details about research, course schedule, travel, accommodation, and safety can be found on the syllabus. Contacting the directors or the IFR office is encouraged and appreciated. It may help you determine if this field school is a good fit for you.
Testimonials
Coming soon!
Tuition Includes:
- Cost of Instruction
- Cost of Academic Credit
- Room & Board
- All local transportation
Student Fees
This program requires an online application — there is no fee to submit an application. Once admitted, a payment of the nonrefundable deposit fee is required to secure a place in the program(s). The Tuition balance (total program cost minus the deposit fee) must be paid prior to the Tuition deadline as listed above under “Course Details.” A $200 late fee will be added to all accounts not paid in full by the Tuition deadline.
Early Decision Enrollment (Aug 1, 2020 through Oct 31, 2020): A reduced, nonrefundable $300 deposit fee is required to secure a seat in the program. This deposit is part of the total Tuition and NOT in addition to it.
Regular Enrollment (Nov 1, 2020 through payment deadline): A nonrefundable $500 deposit fee is required to secure a seat in the program. This deposit is part of the total Tuition and NOT in addition to it.
Late Enrollment (payment deadline forward): A nonrefundable $600 deposit fee is required to secure a seat in the program. In addition, a $200 late fee will be added to all accounts not paid in full by the Tuition payment deadline.
Withdrawal & Cancellation Policy: If you paid the deposit fee but did not cancel your participation by the Tuition payment deadline, you are legally responsible for the full Tuition regardless of attendance at any IFR program. Please carefully read our Withdrawal & Cancellation Policy for further information.
Credit Card Processing Fee: A 2.5% processing fee is automatically incurred for all credit/debit card/online payments.
Academic Credit Opt Out: Students who wish to participate in an IFR field school without earning academic credit units may do so and receive the following discounts: $300 off a full program (4 or more weeks in length) or $200 off a short program (2-3 weeks in length).
Trip Cancellation Insurance: The IFR does not provide trip cancellation insurance. Read this Wall Street Journal article about travel insurance — it may help in making a decision whether such insurance is for you. If you do wish to purchase such insurance, Insure My Trip or Travel Guard are two possible resources you may wish to explore.
Accommodations
Students will be housed in Homestay accommodation, coordinated by a local provider. Students will therefore be housed with local families on a full board basis. This has the added advantage of providing a genuine culturally enriching experience for the students, as well as providing an economic benefit to the local community.
Travel Info
Please hold purchasing your airline ticket until six (6) weeks prior to departure date. Natural disasters, political changes, weather conditions and a range of other factors may require the cancellation of a field school. The IFR typically takes a close look at local conditions 6-7 weeks prior to program beginning and makes Go/No Go decisions by then. Such a time frame still allows the purchase of deeply discounted airline tickets while protecting students from potential loss of airline ticket costs if we decide to cancel a program.
Students should make their way to the town of Wexford train station. The town is served by both Wexford Bus, Bus Eireann and Irish Rail –detailed instructions will be provided at the orientation and Travel Sheet. Both bus and train stations at Wexford are located at Redmond Square. Students will be met by program staff on Sunday (Jan 5) at 3:30pm at the public waiting area of the Wexford train station (there is only one such room at this station).
If you failed to make the meeting, please call/text or email Dr. Denis Shine. You will be sent relevant contact details once you are enrolled in the course.
VISA REQUIREMENTS
Citizens of the US and Canada do not require visas to enter Ireland. You will need your passport to be valid for at least 90 days and will enter on a tourist visa. No vaccinations are required for entry to Ireland but anyone working in archaeology in Ireland needs to have an up-to-date tetanus shot.
Student Safety
Student safety is paramount for the IFR. Unlike many universities who are self-insured, the IFR purchases a range of high end insurance policies from some of the largest insurers in the world. Students in all our international programs have a comprehensive health insurance policy. It covers sickness, and chronic and mental health conditions at 100% of the cost. We have a strong evacuation and extraction policy. We can remove students from any location anywhere in the world with one phone call – whether medical evacuation, political or natural disaster extraction and anything in between. We purchase intelligence services from a global private provider and monitor the world 24/7. We automatically enroll our students to the US State Department STEP program. All of our students receive safety orientations both before and on the first day of each program. Our faculty have all been working in the areas where we operate field schools for years. They are intimately familiar with local customs and traditions, know the landscape well and have deep relationships with local communities.
All our domestic programs are coordinated with local authorities which are informed of our operations. Students in domestic programs are covered by their own health insurance and evacuations are managed by local emergency services, as appropriate.
The IFR has strong, explicit and robust policy towards discrimination and harassment in the field. If students feel they cannot discuss personal safety issues with the field school staff, the IFR operates an emergency hotline where students can contact IFR personnel directly. Travel does involve risk, but we try to minimize this risk as much as possible.
Call (877-839-4374) or email (info@ifrglobal.org) if you have questions about the safety of any particular program.