Anthony T. Lucas (often A.T. Lucas) (1911 – 26 March 1986) was an Irish archaeologist, historian and

museologist Museology (also called museum studies or museum science) is the study of museums. It explores the history of museums and their role in society, as well as the activities they engage in, including curating, preservation, public programming, and ed ...

who served as president of the

Royal Society of Antiquaries of Ireland The Royal Society of Antiquaries of Ireland is an Irish learned society whose aims are "to preserve, examine and illustrate all ancient monuments and memorials of the arts, manners and customs of the past, as connected with the antiquities, langua ...

from 1969 to 1973, and as director of the

National Museum of Ireland The National Museum of Ireland () is Ireland's leading museum institution, with a strong emphasis on national and some international archaeology, Irish history, Irish art, culture, and natural history. It has three branches in Dublin, the arch ...

(NMI) from 1954 to 1976.Almqvist; Delaney (1987), pp. 265–270Rynne, Etienne.
Obituaries: Anthony T. Lucas
. ''

Limerick Leader The ''Limerick Leader'' is a weekly local newspaper in Limerick, Ireland. It was founded in 1889. The newspaper is headquartered on Glentworth Street in the City. The broadsheet paper currently is distributed in three editions, City, County an ...

'', 1986. Retrieved 7 January 2022 Lucas was born in 1911 to an Austrian father and Irish mother, and lived for most of his life in Dublin. He studied at

University College Dublin University College Dublin (), commonly referred to as UCD, is a public research university in Dublin, Ireland, and a collegiate university, member institution of the National University of Ireland. With 38,417 students, it is Ireland's largest ...

where he received a BA and MA. During his career, Lucas wrote extensively on topics ranging from

bog-wood Bog-wood (also spelled bogwood or bog wood), also known as abonos and, especially amongst pipe smokers, as morta, is a material from trees that have been buried in peat bogs and preserved from Decomposition, decay by the acidic and wikt:anaerobic, ...

Insular metalwork Insular art, also known as Hiberno-Saxon art, was produced in the post-Roman era of Great Britain and Ireland. The term derives from ''insula'', the Latin term for "island"; in this period Britain and Ireland shared a largely common style dif ...

, church history, and early medieval folk-life topics such as agricultural techniques such as

trapping Animal trapping, or simply trapping or ginning, is the use of a device to remotely catch and often kill an animal. Animals may be trapped for a variety of purposes, including for meat, fur trade, fur/feathers, sport hunting, pest control, and w ...

, snaring and

plough A plough or ( US) plow (both pronounced ) is a farm tool for loosening or turning the soil before sowing seed or planting. Ploughs were traditionally drawn by oxen and horses but modern ploughs are drawn by tractors. A plough may have a wooden ...

ing, food (including pre-potato Irish diets) and clothes.Almqvist; Delaney (1987), p. 265 In the early 1960s, he collaborated with

Séamus Ó Duilearga Séamus Ó Duilearga (born James Hamilton Delargy; 26 May 1899 – 25 June 1980) was an Irish folklorist, professor of folklore at University College Dublin and Director of the Irish Folklore Commission. Born in Cushendall, Co Antrim, he was one ...

, the chair of the

Irish Folklore Commission The Irish Folklore Commission () was set up in 1935 by the Irish Government to study and collect information on the folklore and traditions of Ireland. History Séamus Ó Duilearga (James Hamilton Delargy) founded ''An Cumann le Béaloideas Éir ...

, to create and circulate a questionnaire on the uses of hay, rushes, and straw. It was sent to 150 people, and from the results, Lucas embarked on an extensive collecting programme in the NMI for objects made of these materials. He was closely involved with the Irish Folklore Commission, and in 1976 a bibliography of his published works was compiled by archaeologist Etienne Rynne (1932–2012) in ''Folk & Farm: Essays in Honour of A. T. Lucas''.Almqvist; Delaney (1987), p. 266

Selected monographs and articles

* "The Social Role of Relics and Reliquaries in Ancient Ireland". ''The Journal of the Royal Society of Antiquaries of Ireland'', volume 116 (1986). * "The plundering and burning of churches in Ireland, 7th to 16th century". ''North Munster Studies'', (1967) * "Bog Wood: A Study in Rural Economy". ''Bealoideas'', 23 (1954) * "Furze." Stationery Office for the National Museum of Ireland. (1960)

References

Sources

* Almqvist, Bo; Delaney, James. "Dr. A. T. Lucas (1911–86)". ''Folklore of Ireland Society'', 1987. {{DEFAULTSORT:Lucas, Anthony 20th-century Irish archaeologists Alumni of University College Dublin 1911 births 1986 deaths People associated with the National Museum of Ireland