About this episode

This episode explores the harsh realities of daily life in the Middle Ages through the insights of Prof. Eileen Murphy's research.

A recent hospital visit means there is no new episode this week, but it reminded me of this classic from early 2024! Tune in to find out more How difficult was life in the Middle Ages? This is something archaeologists and historians have debated for decades. In recent years, new techniques, including genetic analysis, have given us new insights into the lives of our distant ancestors in the Medieval Era. Their findings are unsettling. Life in the Middle Ages was far more difficult than we imagine. My guest in this episode is Prof. Eileen Murphy from Queen's University Belfast. Eileen has recently published groundbreaking research on daily life in early medieval Ireland, based on her analysis of human remains excavated in Co. Roscommon. In this podcast, she answers all your questions on what life was like. Eileen shares her discoveries on how people survived in a hard and difficult world. It's not for the faint of heart. This episode is not suitable for children. Our interview is based on the book "The Forgotten Cemetery: Excavations at Ranelagh, Co. Roscommon," available for free at https://www.tii.ie/technical-services/archaeology/publications/tii-heritage/ . Eileen is the…

People in this episode

Host: Fin Dwyer

Guest: Prof. Eileen Murphy

Topics covered

• Middle Ages
• daily life
• archaeology
• genetic analysis
• medieval Ireland

Keywords

• Middle Ages
• daily life
• archaeology
• human remains
• Ireland

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Queen's University Belfast

Books & works: The Forgotten Cemetery: Excavations at Ranelagh, Co. Roscommon

Places: Co. Roscommon

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