Dr. Eileen Murphy on Egyptian Mummies, Famine Roads & Skeletons with Leprosy

 

Meet Dr. Eileen Murphy…

Eileen Murphy is a Professor of Archaeology at Queen’s University Belfast and a leading expert in ancient human remains/burial practices. Her passion is for telling the stories of ordinary people whose voices have been largely written out of history.

Dr Murphy is the author/editor of 12 books, including a book all about Takabuti: the Belfast mummy currently living in the Ulster Museum — who as you’ll hear inspired her to get into archaeology as a child.

In today’s episode we talk about about:

  • Growing up with a sense of awe and adventure about the world around her

  • Some of the weird and wonderful things found right here on our doorstep

  • What the past can teach us about the present

  • The rights of the living versus the rights of the dead

  • Why a sense of place is an essential part of wellbeing

  • Lessons learned from studying 1000+ human skeletons

  • Discovering the first case of leprosy in Ireland (in a skeletons foot)

  • And the greatest highs/lows of her journey so far

Check it out.

This episode is part of our ongoing series with Queens University, where we have the chance to sit down with an interesting student, professor or graduate once a month to hear and share their story.

To find out more and listen to the other episodes in this series, please visit bestofbelfast.org/qub.

Treasure Trove for Dr. Eileen Murphy

One thing most people don't know about you:
I was born in Lusaka, Zambia and my middle name is 'Musonda'.

Favourite Book:
Twilight and the books in the saga - Stephanie Meyer

Favourite Quote:
”Sensitivity to the past contributes to our lives in a necessary and salutary way. It is not just a temperamental or intellectual accident, like a talent for chess or a passion for whiskey, but a fundamental human gift that is potentially as life enhancing and civilising as our gift for love.” – Seamus Heaney (1993 – History Ireland magazine).

Anything you'd like us to share with our listeners or promote:
Archaeology is not just about the past — it has great relevance to the present and indeed future since we study human responses to past events, such as wars and outbreaks of epidemic diseases, and can learn from these.

Palaeopathologists and ancient DNA specialists can learn about how diseases evolved both in terms of their impact on the body and their genetics. Palaeoecologists can provide deep time records on climate change and the impact of humans on the environment. All of these topics are of relevance to the modern world.

Involvement in community archaeology projects instils a greater sense of place and also improves wellbeing in participants. Archaeology is also very important for the economy through tourism.

The European Association of Archaeologists annual meeting — one of the biggest events in the archaeological calendar — is coming to Belfast in 2023 (30 Aug-2 Sep) when around 2500 archaeologists will descend on the city.

Lastly, Queen's has 100s of prizes and scholarships available across the University that both reward excellence, such as the Queen's Graduate Association scholarships, and also enable students to travel and gain exciting educational and cultural experiences while they are undertaking their degrees.

How To Listen

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Thanks again to Eileen Murphy for taking the time to share her story with us.

See you next time.

— Matt

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Matthew ThompsonQUB