Barry Raftery

Barry Raftery (16 August 1944 – 22 August 2010) was an Irish archaeologist and academic. He is best known for his pioneering work in wetland archaeology and Iron Age hillforts in Ireland. He was Professor of Celtic Archaeology in University College Dublin (UCD) for more than thirty years, and served as chair of the Department of Celtic Archaeology at UCD from 1996 to his retirement in 2007.

Early life and education Barry Joseph Raftery was born in Dublin, Ireland on 16 August 1944. He was the son of an Irish father and German mother, Joseph and Lotte Raftery. His father, Joseph, was an archaeologist who specialized in prehistoric Ireland and was keeper of Irish antiquities and Director of the National Museum of Ireland during his long career. Barry Raftery developed an interest in archaeology at the age of ten, after spending two summers working with his father in the excavations at Lough Gara.

Career From 1969 to 1970, Raftery spent a year as a visiting professor of European prehistory at LMU Munich. He travelled throughout Europe, visiting museums, research institutes and excavations, furthering his studies of the European Iron Age.

During the 1980s, Raftery research interests turned to wetland archaeology. In 1985, he initiated a new research program at UCD on prehistoric Irish wetland sites.

In 1994, Raftery published his seminal work, Pagan Celtic Ireland: The Enigma of the Irish Iron Age.

Selected publications