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

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.

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https://bestofbelfast.org/stories/eileen-murphy-takabuti