![]() The Rockefeller Foundation, wealthy Irish Americans and the Irish Free State Government were involved in the funding of it as it was deemed politically and economically important to establish the identity of the Irish as white, Celtic and Northern European during this period. This eugenic anthropological survey was important in the context of Irish-American history. While the social anthropology strand has been explored in a comprehensive article by Anne Byrne, ¹ there have not been similar publications on the archaeological strand or the complementary physical examinations of thousands of Irish people during the thirties. It included three strands of study: excavations, physical anthropology and social anthropology. The Harvard Mission was one of the most important cultural undertakings in the history of the Irish Free State. This is the first full-length book on the history of the Harvard Archaeological Mission to Ireland, between the years 19. I would also like to thank the Tyrone Guthrie Centre, Annaghmakerrig, for providing the space and beautiful surroundings in which I completed this book. I would like to thank the archivists and librarians of the following institutions who helped me with my research: the Peabody Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology, Harvard University UCD Archives the National Museum of Ireland the Royal Irish Academy the National Archives of Ireland the National Library of Ireland and the Royal Society of Antiquaries of Ireland. Much of the research for this publication was carried out during the course of my PhD thesis, completed in 2011, under the supervision of Professor Mary Daly and funded by the Irish Research Council. ‘The Pageant of the Celt’: Archaeology, Media and the DiasporaĪppendix 1: Harvard Archaeological Mission SitesĪppendix 2: Unemployment Scheme Sites, 1934–7Īppendix 3: Contributors to Irish Archaeological Expedition A Native School of Scientific Archaeologyĩ. Lagore Crannóg: Archaeology in the Service of the State?Ĩ. Choosing Crannógs: Politics and Pragmatismĥ. ‘Ireland belongs to the World’: Celtic Origins, Anthropology and EugenicsĤ. Adolf Mahr and the Possibilities of Harvard Archaeological Researchģ. The Harvard Archaeological Mission in the Irish Cultural RepublicĢ. Hugh O’Neill Hencken (centre) with unidentified American Anthropologists, 1933 (Peabody Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology, Harvard University). Antrim (Peabody Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology, Harvard University) bottom left: Adolf Mahr (National Museum of Ireland) bottom right: Dr. ![]() Jacket back: top: Mesolithic site at Cushendun, Co. Interior design by Typeset in Minion Pro 11/14 ptĬover design by edit+ Jacket front: Harvard anthropologist Earnest Albert Hooton standing with skulls used in his research, Life magazine, 1 January 1936. Without the prior written permission of both the copyright owner and the Means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise) Introduced into a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any Without limiting the rights under copyright reservedĪlone, no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in or Library of Congress Cataloging in Publication DataĪll rights reserved. Read moreīritish Library Cataloguing in Publication Data Mairéad Carew explores this extraordinary archaeological mission, examining its historic importance for Ireland and Irish-America, its landmark findings, and the unseemly activities that lay just beneath the surface. Hooton, famed Harvard anthropologist, whose theories regarding biological heritage would now be readily condemned for their racism. The overall project was managed by Earnest A. The main adviser for the archaeology was Adolf Mahr, Nazi and Director of the National Museum (1934–39). Though the Harvard Mission was hugely influential, there were theories of eugenics involved that would shock the modern reader. The Harvard scientists’ mission was to determine who the Celts were, what was their racial type, and what element in the present-day population represented the descendants of the earliest inhabitants of the island. The programme involved country-wide excavations and the examination of prehistoric skulls by physical anthropologists, and was complemented by the physical examinations of thousands of Irish people from across the country measuring skulls, nose-shape and grade of hair colour. The Quest for the Irish Celt is the fascinating story of Harvard University’s five-year archaeological research programme in Ireland during the 1930s to determine the racial and cultural heritage of the Irish people.
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