DRI Welcomes the Discovery Programme as New Member

Over the past 30 years the Discovery Programme has led the way in testing and using new technologies to further archaeological research in Ireland. Alongside the use of new technologies, Discovery Programme has also facilitated several hundred publications about its work and as such, now holds a significant collection of original data, interpretive analysis, and associated records. 

Anthony Corns, Technology Manager with the Discovery Programme, said:

The Digital Repository of Ireland is a research performing organisation, and a national trustworthy digital repository for Ireland’s humanities, cultural heritage and social sciences data. Joining the DRI will help the Discovery Programme to achieve best practices in digital archiving, digital preservation, and in doing so enables open access, open research, and data sharing using the FAIR principles where the materials are Findable, Accessible, Interoperable and Re-usable.

Tom Dowling, Chair of the Discovery Programme, said: 

Joining the Digital Repository of Ireland is a significant step forward for the Discovery Programme, and will help the Discovery Programme to meet its core objectives around archaeological research, especially making the results of its research available to as wide an audience as possible.

DRI Director Dr Natalie Harrower welcomed our latest member:

The DRI and the Discovery Programme have a long collegial history of collaboration and knowledge exchange, and we are delighted to formally welcome them to our membership. The outputs of archaeological research form an important part of the Repository’s collections, and we are excited to work with DP to extend and enrich these holdings. In particular, we have been building the architecture to support 3D formats, and we hope to improve this support in collaboration with the Discovery Programme.

Over the coming years, the Discovery Programme will be placing both historical data and new, ‘born-digital’ data into the Digital Repository Ireland, and looks forward to working with the DRI in these endeavours. The Discovery Programme wants to ensure that their data is available for the wider public and researchers so that it can be used, re-used, and re-investigated now and in the future. The addition of the Discovery Programme’s collections to the Repository means the digital preservation of many nationally important datasets. You can see a preview of some of the Discovery Programme’s 3D models which include monuments as diverse in time as the Knowth Megalithic Passage Tomb and the East Wing Kilmainham Gaol, on the Discovery Programme’s website.

We provide regular updates on collection publications on our Twitter page and you can also follow us on Instagram to uncover more of the treasures of the Repository. 

Visit our membership page to learn more about DRI membership opportunities.

Image credit: Aerial photograph of Illauntannig monastic site located off the Dingle Peninsula, just one of the thousands of images, reports, and archaeological datasets which will be made available through the DRI