'Revealing the past: archaeological excavation and research in Ireland'

This biennial seminar was held on 10 October 2019 and show cased a selection of recent discoveries from archaeological excavation and related research in Ireland funded by the National Monuments Service, and from C14 dating research funded by Queen’s University Belfast, through grants administered by the Royal Irish Academy's Standing Committee for Archaeology.

Morning—session one

Introduction by Mr Ian Doyle, Chair, Royal Irish Academy Standing Committee for Archaeology

‘Ireland’s ice-age world revealed: new discoveries from Ballynamintra Cave, Co. Waterford’
Dr Richard Jennings, Liverpool John Moores University, UK and Mr Cóilín Ó Drisceoil, Kilkenny Archaeology. Presentated by Dr Richard Jennings.

‘Down by the river: looking for early Mesolithic people at Hermitage, Co. Limerick’
Dr Tracy Collins, Aegis Archaeology Limited and Hermitage Archaeological Research Project

‘Prehistoric ritual practices revealed at the Newgrange Farm excavation, 2018’
Dr Geraldine Stout, National Monuments Service

Afternoon—session two

Introduction by Maeve Sikora, Vice-chair, Royal Irish Academy Standing Committee for Archaeology

‘Embracing the dead on Baltinglass Hill: a newly discovered palisade enclosure’
Dr Alan Hawkes, Consultant Archaeologist

‘A medieval meeting place by the Boyne: excavation of a possible ferta at Dowth, Co. Meath’
Dr Clíodhna Ní Lionáin, Project Archaeologist, Devenish Lands at Dowth and Dr Stephen Davis, University College Dublin. 

Afternoon—session 3

‘A good vintage: early medieval grape pips from Kilkenny’
Dr Susan Lyons, Environmental Archaeological Consultant and Mr Cóilín Ó Drisceoil, Kilkenny Archaeology

‘A clean slate: the science of writing on slate in late medieval Ireland’
Professor Elizabeth FitzPatrick, School of Geography and Archaeology, NUI Galway and Professor Hugh Byrne, FOCAS Research Institute, TU Dublin.

‘Feeding the poor: revealing relief food from dental calculus analyses in victims of the Great Irish Famine’
Dr Jonny Geber, School of History, Classics and Archaeology, University of Edinburgh

This event was sponsored by the National Monuments Service.