Name: Caoimhe Ni Thoibin
Location: Liosban Industrial Estate
Occupation: Archaeologist, Headlands Archaeology
Favourite thing about Galway: The atmosphere, the restaurants and the Roisin Dubh
Worst thing about Galway: Traffic

While spending your working week with dead bodies may not be everyone's cup of tea, Caoimhe Ni Thobin reckons she leads a "charmed career" as a member of Headlands Archaeology.

Originally from Limerick, Caoimhe Ni Thobin has always had a huge interest in history and remembered rummaging around in her grandparents' houses as a child looking for "old things".

After taking classical studies in secondary school, she decided to pursue history as a career and moved to Cork to study for a degree in Archaeology and Greek & Roman Civilization from UCC.

She completed her qualifications with a Masters in Forensic and Biological Anthropology from Bournemouth University in the UK and has now been working in the field for almost ten years.

Caoimhe is a licensed archaeologist and spends a lot of her time on site excavations across the country. She has excavated a wide variety of sites, including Neolithic houses, Bronze Age cemeteries, early Christian wooden roadways and a deserted medieval village to name but a few.

"We are usually called out to sites as part of planning regulations; we have to be there to oversee the removal of the topsoil and that kind of thing. You never really know whether you are going to find something at the beginning, sometimes there will be nothing and then others you will discover something amazing," she explains.

Caoimhe has always had an interest in history but especially in the archaeology of death and burial, which is what led her to the discipline of osteoarchaeology. This involves the analysing and recording of skeletons, figuring out the height, age and sex of the person, as well as their trauma and medical history.

She is currently working on a large group of skeletons from a medieval graveyard in Co. Meath. From approximately 1,500 individuals, she has identified a variety of skeletons with evidence of trauma, disease, poor diet and general indicators of a much more unpleasant time to live in Ireland. There were numerous cases of tuberculosis and non-specific infections among the adults and at least one case of the notorious disease, leprosy.

Some skeletons also displayed signs of violence, with indications of blunt force trauma to a number of skulls. This human remains collection is one of the largest in the country and will provide a wealth of information on the life expectancy, lifestyle, diets and causes of illness and death within a medieval Irish population.

Caoimhe's enthusiasm for the job is evident and she thoroughly enjoys the "outdoorsy nature" of her work.

"Sometime it can be tough in the winter when you are getting up at 7.30 in the morning and it's dark and miserable and you know you'll probably be out in it for the whole day. I'd say if you get through your first winter as an archaeologist, then you are definitely cut out for it. A lot of people drop out around that time. It's totally worth it when you find something though and realise that you are the first person to touch it in thousands of years. I suppose it's like touching the past."

Originally based in Headlands Cork office, Caoimhe moved to the Galway branch in May of this year and is settling in well. She has already taken to the city's entertainment scene and is taking advantage of the wide range of music gigs. She also describes herself as a bit of a foodie and enjoys cooking, going out for dinner and socialising with friends.

With the recession in full swing and strains on finances, Caoimhe thinks that families should use the opportunity to take advantage of the city's historic resources, most of which are free of charge.

"There is such a wealth of archaeology and history in Ireland and in Galway and I think it should be highlighted more at a local level. Places like museums have been given so much more funding in recent years and are a great place for families for visit, and they are usually free as well! Children really enjoy it and get a great kick out of seeing artefacts. I think it is something that should be brought into schools more as well. It shows a different pace of life, so it's still really interesting and relevant."

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