ABSTRACT
This chapter illustrates the competing versions of Ireland's past current in archaeological circles and that pragmatism and personalities also had a major role in the development of archaeology in Ireland. There are several elements that one can point to as illustrating the institutionalization of archaeology in nineteenth century Ireland. It is clear that antiquarian and archaeological research has been freely used by historians, geographers and others in their constructions of the Irish past. An additional irony is the perception of Irish archaeology by both Irish and international commentators as a highly politicized profession. Perhaps the biggest challenge facing archaeology in Ireland today is not the admittedly critical issue of managing the archaeological resource but in using it to present a more critical appreciation of our past for an Ireland that is rapidly changing in the present. An astronomical interpretation of megalithic art and the structures are still central to the public view of Irish prehistory today.
