ARCHAEOLOGISTS must unearth new opportunities and diversify if they are to survive the recession, the head of one of the country’s largest archaeological firms has said.
The managing director of Headland Archaeology (Ireland) Ltd, Colm Moloney, was speaking as the company opened a new office in Dublin as part of a strategy to develop a string of regional centres of excellence.
The company plans to diversify into more specialised areas of archaeology including the development of products and services that can be exported. They also plan to develop products for the global heritage market.
Mr Moloney said Ireland’s recession has brought to an end the "golden age" of archaeology in Ireland.
During the economic boom, massive infrastructural development coupled with stringent regulation governing how developers treat cultural heritage, made Ireland a mecca for archaeologists, he said. But he said the economic collapse has devastated his industry.
"While other industries complain of 20% unemployment, we have been hit with 80% rates," he said. "The average archaeological salary has dropped by 25% and work is now both temporary and highly transient."
He cited a survey carried out by James Eogan, the vice-chairman of the Institute of Archaeologists in Ireland, which shows there was a 37% reduction in the number of archaeological excavations between 2007 and 2008, and a further reduction of 44% between 2008 and 2009.
This has forced those specialists working in the industry here to find work abroad. That talent and experience will be difficult to replace, Mr Moloney said.
This office will complement Headland’s main offices in Cork, Galway, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Hereford and London, with offices planned for Belfast and continental Europe later this year.
Author: Eoin English | Source: Irish Examiner [January 04, 2011]
