I am a PhD candidate in the Archaeology Department, researching the archaeology of Irish-Australia. My research areas include: social identity and the nature of Irishness; the Irish diaspora with a particular focus on the Irish Australian experience; how nineteenth century Irish migrant communities conceptualised themselves outside of Ireland. I blog about my research at www.dontforgetyourshovel.com.

I am currently undertaking a PhD in the Archaeology Department, focusing on Irish social identity (Irishness) in nineteenth century South Australia. My research site is an Irish settlement established in the 1850s near Kapunda. Known as Baker's Flat, this site offers a focus for examining Irishness at a variety of levels, including household and community, local and regional; it is also an opportunity to investigate the influences on an Irish community of the ideologies of respectability, improvement and capitalism.