I am a historian and archaeologist with an interest in farming practices and environmental change in the medieval and early modern world. 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 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. After that 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. In 2020, I was awarded a major Swedish Research Council Project Grant worth c.400,000 euro (co-investigators: Dr Benjamin Gearey, UCC; Dr Sigrún Dögg Eddudóttir, Uppsala University; other collaborators: Dr Kevin Kearney, AMS Ltd.; Petter Larsson, Helsinki University). I joined UCC in 2023 as Lecturer in Radical Humanities.

I have taught and supervised both undergraduate and postgraduate students at Galway, Stockholm and Uppsala and, here at UCC, I am 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
- agriculture, pastoralism and animal farming
- biocultural heritage and historical ecology
 
Gaeilge: Is staraí agus seandálaí mé. Tá suim ar leith agam i stair na tuaithe agus i stair na feirmeoireachta, go háirithe an tuiscint atá ag muintir na tuaithe ar an dtírdhreach agus na slite éagsúla inar chuaigh siad i bhfeidhm ar an timpeallacht san fhad-téarma. Is spéis liom an tréimhse ama idir c.1200 agus 1850 AD - ré chinniúnach inar thosnaigh feirmeoirí na hEorpa ag plé le fórsaí móra eacnamaíochta agus le hathruithe doimhne sóisialta, chomh maith leis an réimse dúshláin nádúrtha a d'eascair as an 'Little Ice Age' i rith an ama san.

Is féidir mo chuid 'updates' agus foilseacháin a leanúint ar na cainéalacha so: 
https://scholar.google.co.uk/citations?user=r3YLZqMAAAAJ&hl=en
https://www.linkedin.com/in/eugene-costello-58016b8b/
https://ucc-ie.academia.edu/EugeneCostello
https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Eugene_Costello2

Research grants and awards:
·       Steering Group member, Iveragh Woodlands European Innovation Project 2026-30, EIP-AGRI (€ 1,764,696) 
·       Enterprise Ireland Research Support Grant 2024 (€16,000)
·       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.4,000,000 – 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 (SEK 4,360,000)
·       Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions Individual Fellowship, 2021 (€191,852)
·       NUI Postdoctoral Fellowship in Humanities, 2020 (€109,840, declined one year, i.e. €54,920)
·       Teach@Tübingen Fellowship, 2021 (€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

Journal peer reviewing:
Landscape Ecology // The Historical Journal // Norwegian Archaeological Review // Social History // Cambridge Archaeological Review // Medieval Settlement Research // Rural History // Folk Life // Rural Landscapes // Journal of Royal Society of Antiquaries of Ireland // Post-Medieval Archaeology // Landscapes // Journal of Historical Geography // Proc of Society of Antiquaries of Scotland // Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports // Journal of Wetland Archaeology // ‘A Place for the Heathland?’ edited book

Grant peer reviewing:
National Science Foundation (USA) // European Research Council // Dutch Research Council (NWO) Vidi // Polish National Science Centre // Swiss National Science Foundation // Icelandic Research Fund // Czech Science Foundation // Austrian Academy of Sciences

Current teaching responsibilities:
Currently I teach a 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. I also teach a 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. 

Previously 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.

Prior to joining UCC as Lecturer in Radical Humanities, I taught and supervised students in history and archaeology at Stockholm University, Uppsala University and University of Galway.