Professor of Archaeology Seán McGrail

Ship Archaeology I interrupt my sequence of county-based reviews in this latest column to turn temporarily to the subject of ship archaeology. This break is brought about by the sad news of the death in June 2021 of Seán McGrail, one of the key figures of this area of study since its formal emergence in the 1970s. Seán was a globally influential figure who led a fascinating life, travelling widely and publishing prodigiously. But he was little-known within either mainstream archaeology or popular culture. I take this opportunity to celebrate his life and to mourn his passing by highlighting some of the sites and projects he worked on, and individuals and teams with whom he worked and to