Dr. Stephen Mandal is an expert on the Irish landscape, history, and geology. He has dedicated his career to bringing the Irish outdoors to life for all, from early schoolchildren to university students to culturally curious retirees. Stephen is the co-founder of several award-winning educational organizations: the Irish Archaeology Field School, the Irish Heritage School, Cultural Tourism Ireland, and Dig it Kids. He has co-founded three major research projects: the “Blackfriary Community Archaeology Project,” which was awarded funding under the AIA’s Site Preservation program; “Digging the Lost Town of Carrig,” which was recognized by a nomination to the British Council for Archaeology Outstanding Achievement Award; and, most recently, he has established an ongoing major research and teaching project in the hidden heartlands of central Ireland entitled the “Monastic Midlands Project.”
Stephen has presented academic and public talks on these projects in Ireland and internationally, including to the Smithsonian. On completion of his Ph.D. in Geoarchaeology (Trinity College, Dublin), he spent two years as a post-doctoral research fellow in the Archaeology Department, University College Dublin. Stephen has served as Vice Chairperson of the Royal Irish Academy Committee for Archaeology (2009-2014); as External Examiner to Sligo Institute of Technology (2012-2015); and is currently serving on the executive board of the Discovery Programme, the state center for archaeology and innovation in Ireland (since 2019). He is a standing international guest speaker for the AIA’s national lecture program, and has led ten previous AIA Tours throughout Ireland. Stephen has co-authored three books and has a wealth of experience in communicating geology, archaeology, and history at all levels, and on this AIA tour he will assist you in viewing the Irish landscape from the perspective of the people who lived there in the past.
Co-founder and CEO of the Irish Archaeology Field School and Cultural Tourism Ireland
