PRESS RELEASE: ‘The Archaeology of Caves in Ireland’ wins prestigious Book of the Year award for 2016

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Marion Dowd, author of the winning Book of the Year The Archaeology of Caves in Ireland, collects her award.
(Photo: Current Archaeology/Aerial-Cam)

Winner of the award for Book of the Year was Dr Marion Dowd for The Archaeology of Caves in Ireland (published by Oxbow Books). Tracing the story of Irish caves from sacred spaces associated with life and death in prehistory to modern sites of sport and tourism, this trailblazing book brings together archaeology, history, mythology and place-names and uses them to explore a wide range of interpretive themes from the history of cave studies to sensory deprivation in caves.

The prize forms part of the celebrated Current Archaeology Awards given each year by Current Archaeology, the UK’s leading archaeology magazine. TV personality and archaeologist Julian Richards (of Meet the Ancestors fame) announced the winners of the 2016 awards on 26 February, during the Current Archaeology Live! event, held at the University of London’s Senate House, which saw a record number of ticket sales for the conference, and was attended by over 400 people.

 

 

Marion Dowd said: ‘Thank you for the nomination and to everyone who voted for the book. Winning is a fabulous surprise. This is the first book in Britain and Ireland to focus on the use of caves through time.

 

Notes for Editors: Current Archaeology Awards

  • Voted for by subscribers and members of the public, the awards recognise the outstanding contributions to our understanding of the past made by the people, projects, and publications featured in the pages of Current Archaeology over the previous 12 months.
  • A record number of votes were cast in the awards: almost 14,000, compared to 8,000 last year.
  • The 2016 Current Archaeology Award for Book of the Year was sponsored by Historic England.
  • The Archaeology of Caves in Ireland was reviewed in Current Archaeology 307.
  • Current Archaeology was launched in 1967, and will be celebrating its 50th anniversary next year.

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