Research Profile

Biography

I am a historian and archaeologist with an interest in farming practices and environmental change in the medieval and early modern world. I am based in both the Radical Humanities Laboratory and the School of History.

Having earned a BA at UCC and an MA at University of Sheffield, I completed a PhD in 2016 at University of Galway funded by Irish Research Council and Hardiman scholarships. Over the following six years, I held a National Endowment for the Humanities postdoctoral fellowship at University of Notre Dame, a postdoctoral fellowship in environmental humanities at Stockholm University, and an MSCA Individual Fellowship at Uppsala University. In 2020, I became a PI after being awarded a major Swedish Research Council Project Grant (c.420,000 euro). I am still leading this through a part-time position at Stockholm University (co-investigators: Dr Benjamin Gearey, UCC; Dr Sigrún Dögg Eddudóttir, Uppsala University; other collaborators: Dr Kevin Kearney, AMS Ltd.; Petter Larsson, Helsinki University).

I have published widely in environmental history and landscape archaeology, including the award-winning book Transhumance and the Making of Ireland’s Uplands, 1550-1900.

I have taught and supervised both undergraduate and postgraduate students at Galway, Stockholm and Uppsala and, as Lecturer here at UCC, I am now teaching late medieval and early modern history (see below).

I welcome enquiries from prospective PhD students and postdocs in the following areas:
- environmental history
- climate history
- landscape archaeology and historical archaeology

- social and economic history in Europe
- Irish, Scottish and Scandinavian history
- rural studies, peasant studies
- history of agriculture, pastoralism and animal farming
- biocultural heritage and historical ecology
 
Is staraí agus seandálaí mé. Bí i dteagmháil liom má tá suim agaibh sna topaicí thuasluaite.

You can follow my updates on: 
https://ucc-ie.academia.edu/EugeneCostello
https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Eugene_Costello2
https://scholar.google.co.uk/citations?user=r3YLZqMAAAAJ&hl=en
https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1084-7585
https://twitter.com/booleying

Research Interests

Research grants and awards:
·       European Society for Environmental History Article Prize 2023 – Honourable Mention
·       European Association of Archaeologists Book Prize 2023 – Shortlisted
·       SCAS Pro Futura Scientia Fellowship 2022 (SEK c.5,000,000 – declined for this position)
·       Shortlisted for Irish Research Council Early Career Researcher of the Year Award 2021
·       NUI Publication Prize in Irish History 2018-21 – Special Commendation (€1,000)
·       American Conference for Irish Studies – Murphy Prize for Distinguished 1st Book 2020 ($500)
·       Swedish Research Council Project in Humanities & Social Sciences, 2021-25 (SEK 4,360,000)
·       Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions Individual Fellowship, 2021-23 (€191,852)
·       NUI Postdoctoral Fellowship in Humanities, 2020-22 (€109,840, declined one year, i.e. €54,920)
·       Teach@Tübingen Fellowship, Apr. 2021 – Apr. 2022 (€29,236 – declined)
·       Society for Post-Medieval Archaeology Research Grant (£812)
·       Albert & Maria Bergström Foundation fieldwork scholarship 2019 (SEK 31,700)
·       Postdoctoral Fellowship in Environmental Humanities 2018-20, Stockholm Uni. (SEK 935,000)
·       Landscape Archaeology Conference Bursary 2018 (£195)
·       Ruralia 2017 Jean-Marie Pesez Conference Bursary (€500)
·       National Endowment for the Humanities Fellowship 2016-17 ($60,000)
·       Society for Post-Medieval Archaeology Paul Courtney Student Travel Award 2016 (£45)
·       Sieg and Dunlop Bursary Award 2016 – International Congress on Medieval Studies (€1,500)
·       Irish Research Council New Foundations Award 2015  (€2,459)
·       Irish Federation of University Teachers 50th Anniversary Award 2015 (€2,000)
·       Group for the Study of Irish Historic Settlement Conference Bursary 2015 (€153)
·       Society for Medieval Archaeology Conference Bursary 2014 (£50)
·       NUI Galway Travel Bursary 2013/14 (€58)
·       NUI Galway Travel Bursary 2012/13 (€256)
·       NUI Galway Hardiman Doctoral Scholarship 2012-16 (€81,100 – of which I declined €60,825)
·       Irish Research Council Doctoral Scholarship 2012-15 (€60,825)
·       University of Sheffield Robert Kiln Bursary in Landscape Archaeology 2011/12 (£1,500)
·       Undergraduate of Ireland Award 2011
·       UCC College Scholar in Arts 2010/2011 (€1,000)
·       UCC College Scholar in Arts 2009/2010 (€1,000)
·       Colmcille Bursary for Irish learners of Scots Gaelic at Sabhal Mor Ostaig 2010 (£280)
·       National University of Ireland Dr. H.H. Stewart Literary Scholarship Award in Irish 2009

Publications

Books

 YearPublication
(2020)Transhumance and the Making of Ireland's Uplands, 1550-1900 (PAPERBACK 2024).
Eugene Costello (2020) Transhumance and the Making of Ireland's Uplands, 1550-1900 (PAPERBACK 2024). Woodbridge: Boydell & Brewer.   [DOI] [Details]

Edited Books

 YearPublication
(2018)Historical Archaeologies of Transhumance across Europe (PAPERBACK 2020)
Eugene Costello, Eva Svensson (Ed.). (2018) Historical Archaeologies of Transhumance across Europe (PAPERBACK 2020) London: Routledge.   [DOI] [Details]

Peer Reviewed Journals

 YearPublication
(2023)'Environmental histories of agriculture in early modern Britain and Ireland'
Elly Robson, Eugene Costello and John Morgan (2023) 'Environmental histories of agriculture in early modern Britain and Ireland'. Agricultural History Review, 71 (2):137-159 [Details]
(2023)'Adapting to the Little Ice Age in pastoral regions: An interdisciplinary approach to climate history in north-west Europe'
Eugene Costello and Kevin Kearney and Benjamin Gearey (2023) 'Adapting to the Little Ice Age in pastoral regions: An interdisciplinary approach to climate history in north-west Europe'. Historical Methods: A Journal of Quantitative and Interdisciplinary History, 0 (0):1-20   [DOI] [Details]
(2023)'Book review - Roebuck, P. 2022. Cattle Droving: Scotland and Ireland through Cumbria to the South. Carlisle: Bookcase'
Costello, Eugene (2023) 'Book review - Roebuck, P. 2022. Cattle Droving: Scotland and Ireland through Cumbria to the South. Carlisle: Bookcase'. Agricultural History Review, 71 (2) [Details]
(2022)'Agriculture and the Integration of British Colonial Migrants in Early Modern Ireland'
Eugene Costello (2022) 'Agriculture and the Integration of British Colonial Migrants in Early Modern Ireland'. Journal of Migration History, 8 (2):291-312   [DOI] [Details]
(2021)'The Colonisation of Uplands in Medieval Britain and Ireland: Climate, Agriculture and Environmental Adaptation'
Eugene Costello (2021) 'The Colonisation of Uplands in Medieval Britain and Ireland: Climate, Agriculture and Environmental Adaptation'. Medieval Archaeology, 65 (1) [DOI] [Full Text] [Details]
(2020)'Hill farmers, habitats and time: the potential of historical ecology in upland management and conservation'
Eugene Costello; (2020) 'Hill farmers, habitats and time: the potential of historical ecology in upland management and conservation'. Landscape Research, [DOI] [Details]
(2018)'Temporary freedoms? Ethnoarchaeology of female herders at seasonal sites in northern Europe'
Eugene Costello; (2018) 'Temporary freedoms? Ethnoarchaeology of female herders at seasonal sites in northern Europe'. World Archaeology, [DOI] [Details]
(2017)'Liminal learning: Social practice in seasonal settlements of western Ireland'
Eugene Costello; (2017) 'Liminal learning: Social practice in seasonal settlements of western Ireland'. Journal of Social Archaeology, [DOI] [Details]
(2017)'Medieval memories and the reformation of religious identity: Catholic and Anglican interactions with parish church sites in County Limerick, Ireland'
Eugene Costello; (2017) 'Medieval memories and the reformation of religious identity: Catholic and Anglican interactions with parish church sites in County Limerick, Ireland'. Post-Medieval Archaeology, [DOI] [Details]
(2016)'Feirmeoirí­ faoi Cheilt: Dul Chun Cinn agus Dúshláin sa Taighde faoi Ghnás an Bhuailteachais'
Costello, Eugene (2016) 'Feirmeoirí­ faoi Cheilt: Dul Chun Cinn agus Dúshláin sa Taighde faoi Ghnás an Bhuailteachais'. Béaloideas: The Journal of The Folklore of Ireland Society, [Details]
(2016)'Seasonal settlement and the interpretation of upland archaeology in the Galtee Mountains, Ireland'
Eugene Costello; (2016) 'Seasonal settlement and the interpretation of upland archaeology in the Galtee Mountains, Ireland'. Landscape History, [DOI] [Details]
(2015)'Post-medieval upland settlement and the decline of transhumance: a case-study from the Galtee Mountains, Ireland'
Eugene Costello; (2015) 'Post-medieval upland settlement and the decline of transhumance: a case-study from the Galtee Mountains, Ireland'. Landscape History, [DOI] [Details]
(2015)'Book review - Rundale: settlement, society, and farming'
Costello, Eugene (2015) 'Book review - Rundale: settlement, society, and farming'. The Journal of Irish Archaeology, 24 :195-196 [Details]

Book Chapters

 YearPublication
(2023)'Adaptation at altitude: using mountains to explore the long-term resilience of Irish settlement and farming'
Eugene Costello (2023) 'Adaptation at altitude: using mountains to explore the long-term resilience of Irish settlement and farming' In: Murphy, M., Tracey, R. & Lyttleton, J (eds). Past, Present & Future of Irish Settlement Studies. Dubllin: Four Courts Press. [Details]
(2021)'Imagining and identifying seasonal resource exploitation on the margins of medieval Ireland'
Eugene Costello (2021) 'Imagining and identifying seasonal resource exploitation on the margins of medieval Ireland' In: Seasonal Settlement in the Medieval and Early Modern Countryside. Leiden: Sidestone Press.   [Details]
(2018)'Transhumant pastoralism in historic landscapes'
Eugene Costello, Eva Svensson (2018) 'Transhumant pastoralism in historic landscapes' In: Historical Archaeologies of Transhumance across Europe. London: Routledge. [Details]
(2018)'Morphology of transhumant settlements in post-medieval South Connemara: A case study in adaptation'
Eugene Costello (2018) 'Morphology of transhumant settlements in post-medieval South Connemara: A case study in adaptation' In: Eugene Costello and Eva Svensson (eds). Historical Archaeologies of Transhumance across Europe. London: Routledge. [Details]
(2016)'Seasonal management of cattle in the booleying system: new insights from South Connemara, western Ireland'
Eugene Costello (2016) 'Seasonal management of cattle in the booleying system: new insights from South Connemara, western Ireland' In: Michael O'Connell, Fergus Kelly, James H. McAdam (eds). Cattle in Ancient and Modern Ireland: Farming Practices, Environment and Economy. Newcastle: Cambridge Scholars Publishing. [Details]

Research Report

 YearPublication
(2022)Final excavation report, Bridia 2 enclosure, Co. Kerry. Report submitted to National Monuments Service, Ireland. 15 pp.
Eugene Costello & Caitríona Moore (2022) Final excavation report, Bridia 2 enclosure, Co. Kerry. Report submitted to National Monuments Service, Ireland. 15 pp. Research Report [Details]
(2022)Final excavation report, Bridia 1 hut site, Co. Kerry. Report submitted to National Monuments Service, Ireland. 34 pp.
Eugene Costello & Caitríona Moore (2022) Final excavation report, Bridia 1 hut site, Co. Kerry. Report submitted to National Monuments Service, Ireland. 34 pp. Research Report [Details]

Online Multimedia

 YearPublication
(2021)The lost art of 'booleying' in Ireland. RTÉ Brainstorm article and podcast.
Eugene Costello (2021) The lost art of 'booleying' in Ireland. RTÉ Brainstorm article and podcast. Online Multimedia   [Details]

Unpublished Reports

 YearPublication
(2019)Grousemount Wind Farm, Kilgarvan, County Kerry: Final Archaeological and Cultural Heritage Report. 205 pp. John Cronin & Associates Ltd., for ESB Wind Energy.
David Murphy & Eugene Costello (2019) Grousemount Wind Farm, Kilgarvan, County Kerry: Final Archaeological and Cultural Heritage Report. 205 pp. John Cronin & Associates Ltd., for ESB Wind Energy. Unpublished Reports [Details]

Other Journals

 YearPublication
(2012)'Beithígh ar buaile: Transhumance in 19th and 20th century Ireland'
Eugene Costello (2012) 'Beithígh ar buaile: Transhumance in 19th and 20th century Ireland' Trowel (Ucd Postgraduate Journal), . [Details]
(2011)'Blossom Gate: A late medieval gatehouse'
Eugene Costello (2011) 'Blossom Gate: A late medieval gatehouse' Kilmallock Historical Journal, . [Details]

Teaching Activities

Teaching Interests

Current teaching responsibilities:
For spring 2024, I am teaching a full 5 ECTS case study for second-year history students called, Ireland in a New World: Climate Change and Capitalism, 1250-1750. This is one version of the 'omnibus' module, HI2105, which all second years in history have to take.

For autumn 2023, I am teaching a full 5 ECTS module for first years called, HI1015: The Craft of History, using Ireland in the early modern period as a case study. This is an 'omnibus' module for all first years in history, with other members of staff teaching other versions of the module. 

In spring 2023, I co-designed and co-led the second-year core module, HI2108: Ireland, Europe and the Wider World I (with Dr David Edwards). This covered the crucial period from just before the Black Death up to the Enlightenment, with an emphasis on socio-economic change, colonialism and the process of globalisation.

Past teaching and supervision:
  • Teaching and supervision of students in Masters in Global Environmental History at Uppsala University (with Prof Anneli Ekblom)
  • 5 ECTS case study at UCC for second-year History students, i.e. 'Ireland in a New World: Climate Change and Atlantic Capitalism, c.1250-1750' (HI2105: Case Studies in Research Skills)
  • Co-ordination of 5 ECTS second-year module at UCC in Heritage Management (AR2044, with Dr Colin Rynne)
  • Co-supervision of MPhil student, Katherine Dezsofi (with Dr Benjamin Gearey). Thesis title: Exploring Late Holocene Landscape Change in the south Kerry Uplands

I have also given guest lectures to students in geoarchaeology in UCC, in early modern history at University of Limerick, and in heritage and memory at University of Amsterdam.

During my postdoctoral fellowship in environmental humanities at Stockholm University (2018-20), I taught on a first-year Medieval and Historical Archaeology module and held seminars with Masters students on human-animal relations. I also taught gender history for the interdisciplinary module, Spaces and Identities, as part of Stockholm University's Doctoral School in Humanities. In the more distant past, I have served as lecturer and tutor in the School of Geography, Archaeology and Irish Studies in NUI Galway.   

Moreover, through Stockholm University's Centre for the Advancement of University Teaching, I have completed two courses totalling 15 ECTS aimed at Professional Development in Teaching.

Contact details

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Department of Archaeology

Seandálaíocht

Connolly Building, Dyke Parade, University College Cork, Cork City, T12 CY82, Ireland

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