To date, undergraduate and graduate students have conducted archaeological research at four sites in rural Ireland.  Three sites, located in north County Roscommon, were inhabited by tenant farmers on the Mahon Estate.  These men and women were evicted as part of the rural clearances of the late 1840s (at the time of the "Irish Famine" or, more accurately, the "Great Hunger"), and many of the evictees settled in central Illinois.  A fourth site is located in County Sligo, just north of Roscommon.  On this site was the first house built by the Cooper family, who lived there from about 1684 to around 1781.  The Coopers still live in a Georgain mansion on the estate, and they curate a substantial amount of the family's original papers.  They have graciously allowed students access to these important records to assist in the archaeological research.

Students and faculty have collected thousands of artifacts—including pieces of broken dishes, smashed bottles, and rusted buttons—that when used alongside the historical and landscape information, allow researchers at Illinois State to provide new chapters in the story of Irish history.

Dr. Charles Orser, Distinguished Professor of Archaeology, developed and now oversees this highly successful project, which is now conducted under the aegis of the Centre for the Study of Rural Ireland and the Office of International Studies.