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Professor William O'Brien is a graduate of University College Cork where he completed doctoral research in 1987 on the subject of prehistoric copper mining. Prior to his appointment to the Cork chair in 2006, he lectured for 16 years in the Department of Archaeology, N.U.I. Galway. His research interests include the Chalcolithic and Bronze Age in Ireland, early mining and metallurgy in Atlantic Europe, upland archaeology, the study of hillforts and all aspects of monumentality in the later prehistoric period. He has a particular interest in the prehistory of south-west Ireland, where he has conducted numerous research excavations. He has published widely, including eight books on topics such as the Bronze Age copper mines on Mount Gabriel, wedge tomb landscapes in south-west Ireland, his discovery of the Beaker copper mine at Ross Island, Co. Kerry, a study of early settlement landscapes and upland farming in the Beara Peninsula, the first general work on the prehistory of the Cork region, and the first book on Bronze Age copper mining in Europe. His most recent work is a study of hillforts, warfare and society in Late Bronze Age Ireland.

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Research Interests

My research interests lie in Irish and European prehistory and specifically in three areas: early mining and metallurgy in Atlantic Europe, the Chalcolithic and Bronze Age in Ireland (c.2500-600 BC), and the later prehistory of south-west Ireland. Following sustained research over two decades I have a strong interest in all areas of Bronze Age studies, particularly early mining and metal-using societies in Western Europe. I have a broad interest also in the  prehistory of south-west Ireland, having conducted many significant excavations and landscape surveys in this region. My published work is marked by inter-disciplinary collaborations with Irish and international researchers. I am an experienced research excavator, with some 30 projects completed to publication, including many sites that are highly significant to our understanding of Irish prehistory.

These studies commenced in 1982 with doctoral research on Bronze Age copper mines and their wider cultural context. I am a specialist in this field and have developed new approaches towards the understanding of early metal mines and their role in Chalcolithic and Bronze Age societies. My 1994 publication on the Mount Gabriel complex was the first detailed study of Bronze Age copper mining to be completed in north-west Europe. This was followed by the discovery and investigation of a Beaker/Early Bronze Age copper mine at Ross Island in Killarney. The publication of that work in 2004 is now central to our understanding of the origins of metallurgy in Ireland, highlighting the key role of Beaker cultures in the transmission of metallurgical knowledge in the Atlantic zone. The Ross Island project continues to be one of the most detailed studies of an ancient metal mine conducted anywhere in the world. The project included the publication in 2001 of collaboration with researchers in the University of Oxford, where lead isotope analysis was successfully applied to the characterization of early metal sources in Ireland. I am currently continuing my work on early copper mines in south-west Ireland, involving research at Derrycarhoon, Ballydehob, and several sites in the Beara Peninsula. This research over three decades culminated in the publication of the first general book dealing with prehistoric copper mining in Europe (Oxford University Press 2015). While interested in the technological aspects, I have approached the study of early mining and metallurgy mostly as a prehistorian interested in Chalcolithic and Bronze Age societies in Ireland. This is evident in a study of Bronze Age megaliths in the Mizen Peninsula published in 1999, which used the beliefs embedded in these monuments as a means of understanding the social context of contemporary copper production and use. The `Sacred Ground' monograph was an important advance in our understanding of the societal context of early mining communities in Ireland, and remains the most comprehensive study of wedge tomb monuments.

From 2001-4 I conducted a study of early settlement landscapes and upland farming in the Beara Peninsula, funded by the Programme for Research in Third Level Institutions (cycle 2). This involved detailed survey and excavation of ancient farmscapes preserved beneath beneath blanket bog in hill valleys, looking at the settlement history of these locations from late prehistoric to medieval times. The publication of this work in 2009 ('Local Worlds') is the first book dealing with early farming and pre-bog farmscapes in Ireland. The Beara project uncovered exciting new evidence for Iron Age agricultural settlement in the south-west peninsulas, a period of prehistory that is not well understood in southern Ireland. In 2004 I conducted a new research programme (The Iverni Project) with funding provided by the Irish Research Council for the Humanities and Social Sciences, which is examining the Late Bronze Age/Iron Age transition in south-west Ireland. In 2004-6 I excavated a large hillfort at Clashanimud, Co. Cork, which has provided important insights into regional warfare and society in the Late Bronze Age. This research is ongoing, with an investigation of the wider late prehistoric/early historic settlement landscape in mid-Cork. That work includes a study of the early medieval tribal centre at Garranes, Co. Cork where I commenced excavation work in 2011. 

In 2011 I was awarded a Senior Fellowship by IRCHSS to work on a project titled 'Hillforts, warfare and society in late prehistoric Ireland'. This is the first major study undertaken on the subject of warfare in early Ireland. The project reviewed archaeological evidence for inter-regional conflicts during the Late Bronze Age (1300-600 BC), with specific reference to the position of hillforts in that society. The project was published in articles and as a final monograph  (O'Brien, W. and O'Driscoll, J. 2017, Hillforts, Warfare and Society in Bronze Age Ireland. Archaeopress, Oxford).

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Teaching Interests

I deliver foundation teaching over two-thirds of the academic year to First Year Archaeology students in the BA degrees (CK101 and CK107). This provides an introduction to the discipline of archaeology, its history, theoretical concerns and methods. The course also provides a general introduction to Irish prehistory. My responsibility at second and third year BA level is to deliver foundation-level teaching in European later prehistory (AR2033 Chalcolithic and Bronze Age Europe) and advanced teaching on Irish prehistory (AR3055 Transitions in Prehistory), as well as co-teach a module on Landscape Archaeology (AR3053). I also coordinate a course on archaeological theory (AR2016), and one on archaeological approaches in forensic science for BSc Chemistry students (AR3060), and contribute to a module on artifact studies (AR2014). I am programme director and principal lecturer for the MA in Archaeological Excavation, a one-year course that commenced in October 2010. This full-time course provides advanced training in the theory and practice of excavation, which is a key area in the practice of archaeology as an academic and professional discipline.

I teach in the evening Certificate in Archaeology offered by UCC, and regularly give talks to local and national archaeology/heritage societies.

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