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Damian Shiels

@irishacw.bsky.social
1.8K followers 781 following 457 posts

Historian & Archaeologist. Website: shielsheritage.com Celtic FC & FF Jaro

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Reposted by Damian Shiels
Sophie Cooper @sophcocooper.bsky.social · 26/09/2026
It was such a treat to work with @fearfuljoycuit.bsky.social (and Nick and Judy) on this - and thank you to all our authors. More to come later but for now, have a look muse.jhu.edu/issue/57682
muse.jhu.edu
Project MUSE -- Verification required!
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Damian Shiels @irishacw.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
The 50th (🤯) instalment of our Transatlantic Podcast is out today. We chat with Matt Barker about the story of the Irish in Portland, Maine. There's some extremely interesting people and politics in this one-as well as very close connections to Galway: shows.acast.com/transatlanti...
shows.acast.com
50. Forest City Irish: The Story of Portland, Maine | Transatlantic: An Irish American History Podcast
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Cian T. McMahon, PhD @ciantmcmahon.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
There is something simultaneously nerve-wracking and rewarding about correcting the proofs of a forthcoming book! It really helps when you have a top-notch press by your side. Thanks, @uncpress.bsky.social
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Catherine Healy @catherine-healy.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
Enjoyed getting a chance to chat about my research with @irishacw.bsky.social and Fin Dwyer shows.acast.com/transatlanti...
shows.acast.com
49. Irish Domestic Servants in America | Transatlantic: An Irish American History Podcast
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Mark Doyle @markdoyle.bsky.social · 17/09/2026
Was very happy to beam into QUB today to launch the Africans in Ireland website that I and a number of colleagues have been working on for years. Maps, database, & other resources documenting the African presence in Ireland from the late 16th to early 20th centuries. africansinireland.com
A right-facing silhouette of the Black preacher and seaman John Jea, Methodist preacher and seaman, from his 1816 book The Life, History, and Unparalleled Sufferings of John Jea, the African Preacher
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National Library of Ireland @nlireland.bsky.social · 16/09/2026
‘Where the murdering cannons roar’ | Explore the McMonagle family’s American Civil War correspondence, documenting the hardship and horrors faced by Irish emigrants With Tommy Graham, Sineád McCoole, Lar Joye & Breandán MacSuibhne. Readings by Stephen Rea Tues 29 Sept 7pm ow.ly/spt450ZLaLE
ow.ly
‘Where the murdering cannons roar’
The American Civil War correspondence of the McMonagle family
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Damian Shiels @irishacw.bsky.social · 14/09/2026
Transatlantic: An Irish American History Podcast is back! We have spent the summer recording a wide range of new episodes- you can find out what is coming up (and even get a bit of Irish Prehistory news...) below: shows.acast.com/transatlanti...
shows.acast.com
48. The Return of Transatlantic | Transatlantic: An Irish American History Podcast
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Damian Shiels @irishacw.bsky.social · 06/09/2026
Another of the recent Heritage Week StoryMaps, produced by Abarta Heritage on behalf of TII. It explores some of the incredible archaeology found across over 100 sites on road schemes between Nenagh and Limerick City from 1996 to 2007: storymaps.arcgis.com/stories/89ba...
storymaps.arcgis.com
Stories from a Shifting Landscape
A StoryMap exploring the spectacular archaeological discoveries made on TII road schemes between Nenagh and Limerick City.
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Damian Shiels @irishacw.bsky.social · 25/08/2026
The latest StoryMap focuses on the impact of 17th century conflict, exploring the 1650 Siege of Clonmel where Cromwell and the New Model Army suffered there biggest combat loss. Produced by Abarta Heritage for Clonmel Junction Festival. You can explore it👇 storymaps.arcgis.com/stories/0262...
storymaps.arcgis.com
"Never So Hot A Storm": The 1650 Siege of Clonmel
A StoryMap exploring the people, stories and locations of the Siege of Clonmel
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Damian Shiels @irishacw.bsky.social · 18/08/2026
A very significant re-analysis for Irish archaeology: www.thejournal.ie/ancient-kerr...
thejournal.ie
Ancient 'Kerry cow' bones discovered on Dingle Peninsula ‘were never cattle at all’
The discovery ‘removes one of the most significant pieces of evidence for when agriculture developed in Ireland or Britain’.
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Damian Shiels @irishacw.bsky.social · 26/07/2026
Incredible scenes at Croke Park. The curse is finally over after 75 Years! Fair play to Mayo, absolutely delighted for them. Massive performance.
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Damian Shiels @irishacw.bsky.social · 24/07/2026
The fantastic Tifo unfurled tonight by FF Jaro ultras before the big derby match against SJK in Jakobstad. Super game, super crowd, and capped off with a massive three points!
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Pádraig Fhia Ó Mathúna @patrickjmahone1.bsky.social · 14/07/2026
Fenian Summer continues!☀️ Mo mhíle buíochas le Jim Carroll and the folks at @RTEBrainstorm for the opportunity to write a bit about the roots of Irish-Cuban solidarity
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Damian Shiels @irishacw.bsky.social · 01/07/2026
Old Carrigart Cemetery, #Donegal. Somewhere here in an unmarked grave is Charly Gallagher, who faced Pickett's Charge at Gettysburg with the famed 69th PA. Charly also served with the 1st PA Light Artillery and in the Regulars. He returned home to Glen and died there in 1907.
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Damian Shiels @irishacw.bsky.social · 24/06/2026
The latest episode of Transatlantic is live! We discuss General Stephen Moylan, one of the senior Irish participants in the American Revolution, and the man who penned the earliest known example of the phrase "United States of America": shows.acast.com/transatlanti...
shows.acast.com
47. Stephen Moylan: The Irish General in the American Revolution | Transatlantic: An Irish American History Podcast
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Pádraig Fhia Ó Mathúna @patrickjmahone1.bsky.social · 21/06/2026
One week since The Fenian Empire hit US shelves! A massive thank you to everyone who has reached out, and to the brilliant series editors Kevin Kenny & Nicholas Wolf - and the entire @nyupress.bsky.social team for putting together a final product that really captures the spirit of the text.
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Neil Jackman @neiljackman.bsky.social · 21/06/2026
That's it from our research exacavation at Viking Woodstown for this year! For a small targeted dig, we discovered SO much about this structure and about Woodstown, but this is only the beginning. Now all of that material and information must be processed so the story will evolve futher.
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Neil Jackman @neiljackman.bsky.social · 17/06/2026
In today's tale from the trench we take a look at the partially excavated foundational trench of the large structure — well, before any Scandinavians come for me, it's very large by Irish standards! At 18.5m it appears to be the largest Viking house yet recorded here. #Ireland #Archaeology 🏺
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Elaine McGoff @elainemcgoff.bsky.social · 15/06/2026
🎯 Our poor beleaguered waters 'The data tell the story:they’re filthy with pollution, clogged with man-made barriers & wrecked by State-funded drainage schemes that channel them, pour herbicides along them & cut vegetation that otherwise offers much-needed shade' www.irishtimes.com/environment/...
irishtimes.com
Wild salmon are on the verge of extinction. There is not one fish to spare
What happened on the river Glyde in June is not a local incident. It is a national emergency
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Neil Jackman @neiljackman.bsky.social · 12/06/2026
An incredible opening week for the research excavation at the Woodstown Viking Site! In today's tale from the trench we meet Hilde Fyllingen as she uncovers a little glimpse of daily life in this enormous Viking settlement. #ireland #archaeology 🏺 #vikings #irishhistory
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Neil Jackman @neiljackman.bsky.social · 08/06/2026
It's [hopefully] going to be a really interesting couple of weeks! We're doing a research dig at the Viking site at Woodstown Waterford, with support from @ria.ie, @nationalmons.bsky.social and Waterford City & County Council, in a collaborative project between Irish & Norwegian archaeologists
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LSU Press @lsupress.bsky.social · 04/06/2026
Another win for "Green & Blue"! The American Conference for Irish Studies has awarded Damian Shiels’s book the Lawrence J. McCaffrey Prize for Books on Irish America for Irish Studies. Check out the prize announcement here: bit.ly/4o2ppIZ
Graphic announcing the Lawrence J. McCaffrey Prize for Books on Irish-America, featuring Damian Shiels and his book, "Green & Blue."
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Damian Shiels @irishacw.bsky.social · 02/06/2026
My deepest thanks to @acirishstudies.bsky.social for selecting Green & Blue for the Lawrence J. McCaffrey Prize for Books on Irish America. A super way to kick off June 😀
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Emily Mark-FitzGerald @emilymfg.bsky.social · 28/05/2026
An incredible day yesterday, spent with a major U.S. collector of stereoscopy who is downsizing. He has generously donated four full travel sets of Irish stereoviews (totalling 400 images), plus c100 more, to University College Dublin. These are extraordinary photos, dating from the 1880s-1900s.
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Damian Shiels @irishacw.bsky.social · 27/05/2026
The reviews for Green & Blue seem to be coming thick and fast these days :-) Many thanks to the Civil War Monitor and Jeremy Knoll for this look at my latest book: www.civilwarmonitor.com/green-and-bl...
civilwarmonitor.com
Green & Blue (2025)
A detailed review of "Green and Blue: Irish Americans in the Union Military, 1861-1865" by Damian Shiels.
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Damian Shiels @irishacw.bsky.social · 26/05/2026
One of my favourite Abarta Heritage StoryMaps to work on, launched this week by Athlone No 1 Gun Battery Heritage Group. It tells the background and story of the Shannon's Napoleonic-era defences and the incredible work of the Heritage Group in Athlone. You can check it out below! arcg.is/09yiGf0
arcg.is
No. 1 Battery: Recovering Athlone's Napoleonic War Heritage
A StoryMap exploring the history of a remarkable surviving piece of Athlone's military heritage—and the Heritage Group that recovered it.
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Peter Gray @petergray47.bsky.social · 20/05/2026
Very sorry to hear of the recent death of Don MacRaild. Don was Professor of History at Northumbria, Wellington, Ulster, Roehampton, and London Met, where he was a PVC before his recent retirement. A leading historian of Ireland’s diaspora, he will be much missed by all who knew him.
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Damian Shiels @irishacw.bsky.social · 20/05/2026
New update to the Yankee Pensioners in Ireland Map. Margaret Cashen of Glenall #Laois. Her son died with Custer at the Little Bighorn. In his last letter he wrote "Sitting Bull...must submitt to Uncl Sam or kill the 7 Hors (Cavalry)." She received a pension until her death in 1892. arcg.is/1CXaDe0
arcg.is
Yankee Pensioners in Ireland 1845-1905: An Interactive Map
An interactive map with biographical info and addresses of 700+ women, men and children who received U.S. pensions in 19th century Ireland.
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Damian Shiels @irishacw.bsky.social · 19/05/2026
The new episode of Transatlantic is live! Dr Tara McCarthy joins us to discuss a remarkable group of Irish women in late 19th and early 20th century America, as they campaigned for the causes of Irish nationalism, working rights and female suffrage: shows.acast.com/transatlanti...
shows.acast.com
46. Outsiders: Irish American Radical Women | Transatlantic: An Irish American History Podcast
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Tuatha @tuatha.ie · 02/05/2026
Fancy a road trip this long weekend? We now have more than 50 itinerary guides covering the whole island of Ireland. #Ireland #SpéirGhorm #DiscoverIreland #Travel
An aerial view of the Gap of Dunloe in County Kerry, a small road winds through a scenic valley alongside small lakes
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Damian Shiels @irishacw.bsky.social · 30/04/2026
I'm shocked to learn Green & Blue is a finalist for the American Battlefield Trust Military History Book Prize. It's surreal to be included among such a stellar list of names. Huge thanks to the Trust for considering it and all who helped make the book a reality. www.battlefields.org/news/america...
battlefields.org
American Battlefield Trust Names Finalists for $50,000 Military History Book Prize
(Washington, D.C.) — The American Battlefield Trust has announced the finalists for the 2026 American Battlefield Trust Prize for History, an annual award...
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Damian Shiels @irishacw.bsky.social · 25/04/2026
Macha taking advantage of the increasingly summer-like weather conditions as we approach May in Finland...🌞🌞🌞😎😎😎
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Damian Shiels @irishacw.bsky.social · 20/04/2026
Episode 45 of Transatlantic is live! We are off to the 18th century frontiers of Georgia & South Carolina, chatting about the remarkable life of an Armagh emigrant among the Muscogee (Creek) people, and the intimate relationships he maintained: shows.acast.com/transatlanti...
shows.acast.com
45. An Ulster Scot on the American Frontier: The Extraordinary Life of George Galphin | Transatlantic: An Irish American History Podcast
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Damian Shiels @irishacw.bsky.social · 20/04/2026
Episode 45 of Transatlantic is live! We are off to the 18th century frontiers of Georgia & South Carolina, chatting about the remarkable life of an Armagh emigrant among the Muscogee (Creek) people, and the intimate relationships he maintained: shows.acast.com/transatlanti...
shows.acast.com
45. An Ulster Scot on the American Frontier: The Extraordinary Life of George Galphin | Transatlantic: An Irish American History Podcast
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Damian Shiels @irishacw.bsky.social · 13/04/2026
Episode 44 of Transatlantic is live! In this episode we discuss the long history of the GAA in the U.S. with Bennett Burke. If you ever wondered about why the All Ireland Football Final was played in New York in 1947, or why New York is treated as a seperate "county", this is the show for you!
shows.acast.com
44. The GAA in the USA | Transatlantic: An Irish American History Podcast
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Damian Shiels @irishacw.bsky.social · 06/04/2026
Episode 43 of Transatlantic is live! Fin and I chat with Professor Jim Walsh about the incredibly hard life of Irish men and women in the silver mining town of Leadville, Colorado. Perched way up in the Rockies, where many emigrant journeys ended in a pauper's grave: shows.acast.com/transatlanti...
shows.acast.com
43. Death in the Rockies: Irish Silver Miners in Leadville, Colorado | Transatlantic: An Irish American History Podcast
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Damian Shiels @irishacw.bsky.social · 06/04/2026
Episode 43 of Transatlantic is live! Fin and I chat with Professor Jim Walsh about the incredibly hard life of Irish men and women in the silver mining town of Leadville, Colorado. Perched way up in the Rockies, where many emigrant journeys ended in a pauper's grave: shows.acast.com/transatlanti...
shows.acast.com
43. Death in the Rockies: Irish Silver Miners in Leadville, Colorado | Transatlantic: An Irish American History Podcast
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Damian Shiels @irishacw.bsky.social · 31/03/2026
Many thanks to Professor Steven Ramold for taking the time to write a generous review of Green & Blue in the latest American Historical Review. Unfortunately behind a paywall for those without University access, but you can read the first couple of paragraphs below: academic.oup.com/ahr/article-...
academic.oup.com
Validate User
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Damian Shiels @irishacw.bsky.social · 30/03/2026
The new epsiode of Transatlantic is live! David Gleeson discusses the long and varied history of the Irish in Charleston & Savannah, from the 17th century to the present day. We hear about the surprising extent of that emigration and some very specific regional links: shows.acast.com/transatlanti...
shows.acast.com
42. The Lowcountry Irish: The Story of Savannah & Charleston | Transatlantic: An Irish American History Podcast
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Cian T. McMahon, PhD @ciantmcmahon.bsky.social · 27/03/2026
Delighted to announce that my new book, a global history of Saint Patrick’s Day, will be published by @uncpress.bsky.social in early 2027. Big thanks to @bc-irish-studies.bsky.social @gihnyu.bsky.social @ndirishstudies.bsky.social @iehs.bsky.social @unlv.edu and everyone who helped me along the way.
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Anne Sarah Rubin @annesarah.bsky.social · 24/03/2026
If, like me, you can't get enough #ShermansMarch, here I am telling stories and puncturing myths. 🗃️🔥
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Damian Shiels @irishacw.bsky.social · 22/03/2026
The incredible view over our house just now. We have been having some Northern Lights show in Finland the last few days. #NorthernLights
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Damian Shiels @irishacw.bsky.social · 17/03/2026
I'm doing a special #StPatricksDay online talk tonight for the National Museum of Civil War Medicine at 7pm Eastern. The majority of time is focused on audience questions, so if you have any burning queries about Irish service in the Civil War pop along! Link: fb.me/e/4aOBdc2x0
fb.me
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thesilvervoice.bsky.social @thesilvervoice.bsky.social · 16/03/2026
A very interesting and lighthearted examination of the time when tens of thousands of American forces arrived in Northern Ireland. Well worth a listen!
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Damian Shiels @irishacw.bsky.social · 16/03/2026
The new episode of Transatlantic is live! We chat with Dr James O'Neill about American forces in Northern Ireland in WW2. We cover who was there, their enormous numbers, the social impact of their presence, and local reactions to issues like racial segregation: shows.acast.com/transatlanti...
shows.acast.com
41. Over Here: The Americans in Northern Ireland in World War II | Transatlantic: An Irish American History Podcast
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Damian Shiels @irishacw.bsky.social · 14/03/2026
More than the Irish Brigade. In Sykes's Regular Division at Antietam 63% of the fatalties suffered were Irish Americans; including 100% of those in the 4th U.S. Infantry and 73% of the 2nd/10th U.S. Infantry. A marker of how ubiquitous the Irish were in the U.S. Regulars.
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Damian Shiels @irishacw.bsky.social · 14/03/2026
It was great to have Cian on to discuss his fantastic new work on the (surprising!) history behind St Patrick's Day Parades- you can take a listen below:
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Patrick Gleeson @papgleeson.bsky.social · 10/03/2026
Very excited to get up and running with this one: awarded £1.5m AHRC Standard Grant for Landscapes of Catastrophe, a project examining the context and impact of the Great Irish Famine www.qub.ac.uk/schools/NBE/...
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