ANNUALREPORT 20

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Advancing Research in Irish Archaeology

THE DISCOVERYPROGRAMME

AN CLÁR FIONNACHTANA

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ANNUALREPORT 20

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Message from the Chair

A new board was elected and appointed to the Discovery Programme in January 2016. There are twelve members of the board, six of whom were elected by the company members from the sixteen nominating bodies and four of whom, including myself, the Chair, were appointed by the Heritage Council. One member was chosen as an external appointee. This is the first Board to operate under the recently adopted constitution that aligns The Discovery Programme to the requirements of the 2014 Companies Acts.

2016 marked the 25th anniversary of the establishment of The Discovery Programme and events were organised throughout the country to celebrate this anniversary. The Discovery Programme was founded to enhance knowledge of Ireland’s archaeological past and to share the results of our work with the public. With these founding principles in mind we celebrated our 25th anniversary by revisiting the communities who had hosted our research since 1991. We also highlighted some of our ongoing outreach projects and engaged with communities in counties Monaghan, Limerick, Kerry, Derry, Meath, Wicklow and Cork. Many of these events, which were aimed at the general public, received a high level of coverage in local newspapers and radio stations. Our capacity to hold these events was enhanced by funding received from the Departments of the Taoiseach and Arts, Heritage, Regional and Rural Affairs, and the Gaeltacht.

The publication of Tara: The Guidebook written by Dr Mairead Carew and designed by Ian McCarthy marked a milestone for the Tara Project. The book was launched by Prof George Eogan, founding Chair of the Discovery Programme, at a cultural evening on the Hill of Tara that featured music and poetry.

Collaboration, between The Discovery Programme and external organisations and groups, has been central to the ongoing work of the Discovery Programme, and was particularly the case this year. The Tara Research Project team collaborated with the Römisch-Germanische Kommission to increase its surveying capabilities using multi-sensor magnetometer systems with integrated GPS. The Hill of Skreen and Riverstown Earthwork were two of the sites targeted for this geophysical survey and these surveys were combined with targeted laser scanning. This research resulted in some major discoveries including an enclosure surrounding the medieval church in Skreen along with a possible medieval settlement, and a previously unrecorded c.250m-long stretch of linear earthwork at Riverstown.

The ongoing work of the Monastic Ireland project to develop as a research and tourism resource was enhanced through collaboration with the in house IT Department and their colleagues in the Office of Public Works and the University of Glasgow. These collaborations facilitated scanning by Discovery Programme staff of a collection of sculpted high crosses on Iona, the renowned Columban monastery in the Inner Hebrides of Scotland. The Discovery Programme’s work with the OPW includes installation of a monitoring strategy for the monastic site at Skellig Michael World Heritage Site as well as research into the function and history of the monastic site. The Monastic Ireland team advanced their research on the nature of Irish monasticism between AD900 and 1200, on the rural and urban landscape of medieval mendicant houses, and on the use of seventeenth-century altar plate and inventories as evidence for the survival of objects and for networks of patronage, especially in the west of Ireland.

The EU Co-Funded research projects allow our researchers to engage with their colleagues in other parts of the EU to develop best practice models and make archaeological data accessible and harmonised throughout Europe. The Discovery Programme used the models developed by these projects to assist the National Museum of Ireland to make the Leo Swan Aerial Collection and photographic collections of the RSAI available online.

We have been working with the Dublin Institute of Advances studies on the Ogham in 3D project since 2012. This collaboration continued in 2016 with the continuation of the Corca Dhuibhne 3D project, where the members of the Corca Dhuibhne community recorded ogham stones and other cut stones monuments in the area using Structure for Motion Photogrammetry technique to generate 3D models. These models are uploaded to the www.corcadhuibhne3d.ie website which is maintained by the local community. The research on ogham stones, for so long a preserve of linguists, is beginning to move into other disciplines, including archaeology, as the location of these stones are considered in relation to other monuments in their landscapes such as souterrains, churches and cemeteries.

The consultation phase of the development of the Royal Irish Academy’s Archaeology 2025 strategy which began in 2015 and which was coordinated in the Discovery Programme concluded in June this year. This consultation was very successful with 61

archaeology and heritage stakeholders and 51 external stakeholders at local, national and international levels engaged in the process. An Archaeology 2025 strategy document was drafted and was made available online to allow stakeholders to provide feedback. The revised document will be published and launched in 2017.

The Board and CEO will prepare a new Work Plan during 2017. This plan will address fundamental issues such as the current business model which was designed for an institution that received a much larger allocation of funds. At the moment the resources available for our core research agenda is declining and external funding for dedicated archaeological research projects is scarce. The primary aim will be to devise a new research strategy that will re-focus and maximise the Discovery Programme’s limited resources on targeted archaeological research that will be measured by published results. This will entail the development of new research projects based on already existing archaeological data sets rather than extensive fieldwork. This strategy will involve internal re-organisation so that the organisation’s support resources can be increasingly used to support these new research projects.

Dr. Finbar McCorrmickChair

The Discovery Programme6 Mount Street Lower, Dublin 2t. +353 (0) 1 639 3039f. +353 (0) 1 639 3710e. info@discoveryprogramme.iewww.discoveryprogramme.ie

The Discovery Programme is fundedby The Heritage Council

Member of the Römisch-Germanische Kommission (RGK) carrying out magnetometry geophysics survey

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ANNUALREPORT 20

161: Discovery Programme Projects 06

2.1 Tara Research Project 06

2.2 Monastic Ireland 08

2.3 EU Co-Funded Projects 14

2.4 Project collaborations 20

2.7 25th Anniversary events 28

2.8 Archaeology 2025 32

2: Discovery Programme Personnel and Meetings 34

3: Lectures, Conferences, Events and Publications 36

4: Financial statements 42

Cover Illustration from Tara: The Guidebook

The Discovery Programme

Projects

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2.1 TARA RESEARCH PROJECT

The Tara Research Project was established as a flagship initiative of The Discovery Programme in 1992, and entered its third phase in December 2015. Since its inception, the project has embraced a wide range of disciplines and technologies – from archaeology, history and literature to geophysical prospection, airborne laser survey and photogrammetry – to advance our understanding of the complex, multi-layered landscape of Tara. The current phase of the project has two key strands: to analyse and publish the results of large-scale geophysical and remote sensing surveys conducted at Tara and in its environs over the past 15 years; and to explore developments in the wider Tara landscape through targeted investigations at other prominent sites in the region.

Data analysis and archaeological interpretation

Critical analysis and interpretation of the vast repository of geophysical, LiDAR and aerial photographic data from Tara is ongoing, as is the development of a database of archaeological sites and features identified through survey and remote sensing. Virtually all of the summit plateau and significant parts of the slopes of the Hill of Tara (an area of c.50ha) have now been investigated in detail by geophysical survey, providing an invaluable source of information on the composition of the archaeological complex which is complemented by the detailed LiDAR survey commissioned by The Discovery Programme in 2007 with the support of the Heritage Council. As well as providing new insights into some of the most prominent, upstanding monuments at Tara, the surveys have revealed dozens of previously unrecorded burial monuments, enclosures and other archaeological features which display little or no surface presence. Augmenting the various data from the Hill of Tara is a series of high-resolution vertical aerial photographs covering 92km² of the surrounding landscape, which were acquired by The Discovery Programme in 2008. These are being processed with multi-ray photogrammetry software to produce Digital Terrain Models and orthophotos, which are incorporated into a GIS for analysis. Although still at an early stage, over seventy potential new archaeological sites have already been identified in the wider Tara landscape through analysis of the aerial imagery.

Collaborative research and new fieldwork

Collaboration and the application of innovative technologies contributed in no small part to the early success of the Tara Project and continue to play a central role in advancing the core objectives of the project. Building on The Discovery Programme’s ongoing collaboration with colleagues in NUI Galway, which provided the foundation for a series of large-scale surveys at Tara from 2002–2010, the establishment of a research partnership with the Römisch-Germanische Kommission (Deutsches Archäologisches Institut) has brought

a welcome expansion of the project team as well as increased surveying capabilities, using multi-sensor magnetometer systems with integrated GPS. This paved the way for a new campaign of geophysical investigations at Tara in 2014, and at a range of other sites in June 2016, including the nearby Hill of Skreen and Riverstown linear earthwork. The investigations at Skreen and Riverstown were undertaken in conjunction with targeted laser scanning, and resulted in some major discoveries, including evidence to indicate the former presence of an enclosure surrounding the medieval church at Skreen, and a previously unrecorded, c.250m-long stretch of the linear earthwork at Riverstown.

As part of this collaborative fieldwork campaign, further investigations were also undertaken at Faughan Hill (ancient Ocha), the legendary burial place of Niall of the Nine Hostages, some 15km northwest of Tara. This followed the discovery of a major archaeological complex at the site in 2013, as part of investigations initiated by The Discovery Programme’s ‘Late Iron Age and ‘Roman’ Ireland’ project. Key features of the complex include two concentric, multi-ditched hilltop enclosures (c.400m and 270m in diameter), as well as a range of burial sites and smaller enclosures. Geophysical survey in 2016 provided additional insights into the composition and layout of the complex, and a series of sediment cores extracted from the ditches of the hilltop enclosures and other features are currently being analysed by the Römisch-Germanische Kommission to establish the stratigraphy and geochemical characteristics of their deposits. As a prehistoric centre of potential regional significance, Faughan Hill has emerged as a key research focus within the Tara Project and, following a successful application for grant funding from the Royal Irish Academy, test excavations will be conducted at the site by The Discovery Programme in 2017. It is anticipated that the results of this work will allow for a fuller analysis of the relationships between Faughan and other archaeological sites in the region, most notably Tara and the major complexes at Teltown, Tlachtga (Hill of Ward) and the Hill of Lloyd, near Kells.

Two project workshops were held in 2016 to develop and discuss the preliminary results of the collaborative research – one in Dublin in April and the second in Frankfurt in November. Several undergraduate and postgraduate archaeology students from NUI Galway took part in the surveys and a community ‘open-day’ was organised to coincide with the fieldwork. Articles on the Tara Project were published in Archaeology Ireland and in the online research bulletin of the German Archaeological Institute. In addition, a new guide to the site, Tara: The Guidebook, written by Dr Maireád Carew and designed by Ian McCarthy, was launched on the Hill of Tara during Heritage Week in August. Discovery Programme staff also took part in filming on the Hill of Tara as part of the BBC’s ‘Great British Railway Journeys Goes to Ireland’ and for documentary for the European culture channel ARTE.

Tour of Kilmallock Priory, part of the 25th Anniversary celebrations

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2.2 MONASTIC IRELAND 2016

The Monastic Ireland project continued to develop as a research and tourism resource throughout 2016.

Originally established as a collaborative research project between the UCD Mícheál Ó Cléirigh Institute for the Study of Irish History and Civilisation, UCC School of History, TCD Department of History of Art and Architecture, and the Discovery Programme, Monastic Ireland had received funding from the Department of Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht, Fáilte Ireland and UCD. In 2013, the project was awarded a major research grant under the Irish Research Council’s Advanced Research Project Grant Initiative, which came to completion in August 2016. Since then, the project has focused on the development of the project website, publications and continued research with Dr Edel Bhreathnach leading the team of Drs Keith Smith and Annejulie Lafaye, while continuing to collaborate with Dr Malgorzata D’Aughton, UCC School of History.

The Monastic Ireland website, www.monastic.ie, continued to expand during 2016, with the addition of further monastic sites and extensive fieldwork in Kilkenny, Wexford, Wicklow, Galway and Mayo. The promotion of the website continued with extensive social engagement through social media outlets, while traffic to the project website increased substantially.

The primary focus from March 2014 to August 2016 was on the IRC-funded ‘Monastic Ireland: Landscape and Settlement’. This multidisciplinary project has concentrated on of the impact of rural and urban monastic foundations in Ireland between AD900-1700, through a combination of traditional historical and archaeological research and analysis with of data amassed from geophysical surveying.

The project’s analysis is divided into the three distinct, but interrelated modules:

Module 1: ‘Monasticism in Ireland AD900-1300’ is attempting to characterise the nature of monasticism in Ireland before the arrival of the orders and on the handover from the old to the new during the 12th century. This is being undertaken through an exploration of topographical and textual studies.

Module 2: ‘The expansion of the new orders’ and their interface with local politics and social provision’ module is examining the landscape context of mendicant foundations as well as the internal spaces and landscape of the liturgy connected with the mendicant orders between the 13th and 16th centuries.

Module 3: ‘The Dissolution: Survival and destruction, the fate of monastic houses, 1540-1740’ seeks to assess the impact of the Acts of Suppression on the monastic foundations in Ireland and their lands, exploring the geographical disparity in survival and repurpose of religious houses, while also analysing patronage, wealth and religious affiliation through in-depth examination of surviving inventories and material culture.

In addition to these three modules, research was carried out with a specific focus on Digital History, the placement of the Monastic Ireland project within the sphere of Digital Humanities, and potential opportunities and obstacles within the discipline.

Monastic Ireland outreach

The Monastic Ireland team have presented papers at numerous national conferences and events, including the Economic and Social History Society of Ireland Conference, the Mícheál Ó Cléirigh Institute, UCD and the launch of ‘Farmers, Friars and Frontiers: the archaeology of the Ballyhoura Hills’ in Limerick. They have also presented papers at international conferences, such as the Ecole Française in Rome, the University of South Denmark, Odense and the Centre André Chastel, INHA, Paris. Dr Edel Bhreathnach was elected a Visiting Fellow, All Souls College, Oxford (September-December 2016) to research comparative material for a monograph based on Module 1 of the project. While in Oxford, she presented several papers on the project in Oxford and Cambridge. Dr Bhreathnach was also appointed Adjunct Professor, UCC School of History as a result of her collaboration with Dr D’Aughton.

Additionally, the team has published widely in a number of edited volumes, peer-reviewed journals and local history and archaeology publications including Archivium Hibernicum and Études franciscaines, with forthcoming publications in the proceedings of the conferences Church and settlement in Ireland: landscape and legacy and Everyday poverty in the mendicant friaries of Central Europe (ca 1220 – ca 1550), in addition to the projects’ own forthcoming conference proceedings, Monastic Europe: Communities, Landscape & Settlement.

Team members have been involved in the Archaeology 2025 Strategy project, and taught an undergraduate module on Irish medieval art and architecture and history in the UCC School of History and UCD School of Art History & Cultural Policy

Close range 3D documentation of the Iona High Crosses

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Monastic Ireland Survey

During 2016, the Discovery Programme through the IT/Survey section continued to collaborate with many cultural heritage research institutions adding significantly to conservation works being undertaken at the specific sites as well as contributing to the research of the Monastic Ireland project:

University of Glasgow - Scanning the Iona High Crosses

The Discovery Programme was invited by the School of Humanities (Archaeology) at the University of Glasgow to record and model in 3D the collection of sculpted High Crosses on Iona, the renowned Columban monastery in the Inner Hebrides of Scotland, one of the most influential monasteries in western Christendom during the early medieval period. These are some of the earliest and best examples of early medieval crosses in Scotland and Ireland, and they are housed in the recently renovated museum, the old infirmary building of Iona Abbey, which is managed by the public body Historic Environment Scotland (HES). The project’s objective was to use 3D scanning technology to record in high resolution the surface detail of three High Crosses, St John’s, St Matthew’s and St Oran’s, along with a selection of carved grave slabs of interest to the research team in Glasgow. These are extremely challenging objects to scan, not only in terms of scale and complexity of geometry, but also the museum setting.

Special mounts were used to allow the stone fragments to be displayed upright, presenting the crosses standing as they would have appeared originally, up to 4.2m high. This creates a wonderful experience for the visitor, but the steel frames and clips are difficult challenges for the scanning process as they obscure some important details. Our work is hosted by Sketchfab and the Iona collection is accessible through https://sketchfab.com/discoveryprogramme/collections/iona.

Clones High Cross

In collaboration with OPW The Discovery Programme undertook a high resolution 3D survey of the High Cross at Clones which is made up of various fragments possibly of different periods. This monument is located in the town centre. The Discovery Programme also surveyed St Tigernach’s tomb shrine, a stone version of a house-shaped reliquary that may have been carved in the twelfth century and placed in the early churchyard associated with the saint. The results of the 3D modelling were revealed at an event in Clones Museum held to mark the 25th anniversary of the Discovery Programme, that was attended by Heather Humphreys T.D., Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht.

Archaeological condition survey on Skellig Michael, Co. Kerry

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OPW - Skellig Michael monitoring

The Discovery Programme has been working with the Office of Public Works (OPW) to develop a monitoring strategy for the built heritage of Skellig Michael World Heritage Site. Elements of the fragile drystone structures at both the Monastery and South Peak of the island have given cause for concern, with visual signs of deterioration and potential structural movement. The aim of the project was to establish a rigorous network of physical control points to enable regular monitoring by total station observations to ascertain the stability of the structures. In conjunction, a parallel assessment of terrestrial laser scanning as a monitoring tool was undertaken, examining the potential of this rapid non-contact technique as an alternative, more flexible option, giving potentially greater levels of information on the nature of any changes taking place. The OPW are concerned that the stone-built monuments on Skellig Michael may be subject to movement and have the potential, in extreme scenarios, to collapse in the future. For this reason a programme of precise monitoring has been put in place at three strategically selected locations around the monastery, at the north of the island.

Skellig has been subject to many interpretations and as part of the Monastic Ireland project, and given the collaboration with the OPW and NMS, further consideration has been given to its history and function. There is no record of when the foundation at Skellig began or who initiated the original foundation. What survives on the island suggests that this was a well thought-out foundation that required planning and resources, and above all a profound understanding of eremitical monasticism and how that was represented in the landscape.

On the basis of the evidence adduced from texts from the eighth to the eleventh century and later, it is clear that Irish ecclesiastics, and particularly the céli Dé, were attuned to the cult of St Michael the Archangel and all its attributes as observed throughout Western Christendom from as early as the 5th century. If this is the case, then a dedication to Michael at a hermitage of such apparent prestige as Skellig would not have been out of place from the mid-eighth century onwards. Hence the questions must be asked: what was Skellig and how did it function, who initiated the main phases of its construction and who inhabited the island?

The function of Skellig and who might have inhabited the island may be understood in the context of descriptions found in the Irish hagiographical tradition. In his life of Columba of Iona, his hagiographer, Adomnán (d. 704), tells of a certain monk Fergnae who arrived at Hinba, another island monastery and daughter-house of Iona, where he spent twelve years. He then went to Muirbolc Már, the locus anchoritarum ‘the place of the anchorites’ on Hinba (Anderson & Anderson 1991, 228-9: III.23). While Fergnae’s retreat from his original monastery in Ireland and then from the greater community on Hinba to the locus anchoritarum for twelve years may have been more extreme than

usual, it would appear from Columba’s own retreats to Hinba (ibid, 208-9: III.18) that even the great abbot spent time in seclusion on Hinba. It has been argued that in doing such an exercise Columba was following what the great master of monasticism John Cassian termed theōrētikē, associated with the anchoritic life ‘which consists in the contemplation of divine things and in the understanding of most sacred meanings’ (Follett 2006, 65).

Although highly idealized, some of the episodes in the Navigatio Sancti Brendani Abbatis ‘Voyage of St Brendan the Abbot’ describe the perfect monastery and it is probably not surprising that these places were on islands, normally coastal islands. From such texts, it can be deduced that monks could withdraw in complete solitude or as part of a community of anchorites. And indeed the model of Hinba, with a coenobitic community (and occasional secular penitents) in one location and a locus anchoritarum in another, could explain the layout of Skellig’s main monastery and South Peak hermitage.

References

Anderson, A.O. & Anderson, M.O. (eds), Adomnán’s Life of Columba (2nd edn. Oxford, 1991)

Follett, W. Céli Dé in Ireland: monastic writing and identity in the early Middle Ages (Woodbridge 2006)

Follett, W. ‘Archangelum mirum magnum: an Hiberno-Latin hymn attributed to Máel Ruain of Tallaght’, The Journal of Medieval Latin 19 (2009), 106-29

Follett, W. ‘The veneration of Saint Michael at Tallaght: the evidence of ‘Archangelum mirum magnum’’, Cambrian Medieval Celtic Studies 66 (Winter 2013), 37-56

O’Meara, J. (transl.) The Voyage of St Brendan: Journey to the Promised Land (Dublin 1976)

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2.3 EU CO-FUNDED RESEARCH PROJECTS

ARIADNE

2016 was the last full year of the ARIADNE project (www.ariadne-infrastructure.eu) and much progress was made towards the integration of several Irish datasets within the ARIADNE registry and development and testing of the ARIADNE portal to enable access

In order to harmonise archaeological datasets across Europe, one of the main aims of ARIADNE is to create controlled vocabularies between countries and regions and to build comparative terminology, components and semantics.

For Ireland, two thesauri were harmonised, the first being a thesaurus for archaeological and historic chronological horizons. All designated periods within Irish prehistory and history were mapped to PeriodO, a gazetteer of scholarly definitions of historical, art-historical, and archaeological periods, which eases the task of linking datasets that define periods differently. In addition, the definitions of each period will be delivered as Linked Open Data with permanent URIs in collaboration with PeriodO.

The second thesaurus concerned the National Monument Service’s monument classifications. In order to harmonise the diverse range of monument types across Europe, the project adopted the Getty Art and Architecture Thesaurus (AAT). This is a structured vocabulary that can be used to improve access to information about art, architecture, and material culture as a central framework onto which each national monument and artefact thesaurus was mapped. Mapping to the AAT has enabled:

• data value standards to occur at the point of documentation or cataloging

• improved search assistants in database retrieval

• the basis for a knowledge model that includes semantic networks that show links and paths between concepts and identify relationships between objects.

In addition, the AAT has been released by the Getty as Linked Open Data (LOD) enabling those Irish datasets mapped to benefit from the linked data paradigm and improve their reuse in the future.

The ARIADNE portal (http://portal.ariadne-infrastructure.eu/) provides services for archaeologists that enables access to the research infrastructure, and provides the main point of access for searching and browsing datasets and new services for processing and publishing archaeological datasets online, including those datasets incorporated by the Discovery Programme.

During 2016 staff The Discovery Programme developed and tested the new ARIADNE portal which enables users to explore the full range of digital datasets through thematic and faceted searches of:

• What? – based upon artefact or monument classifications, linked to Getty AAT mappings

• Where? – Geographical and place name search for data

• When? - Search tools based upon international prehistoric and historic periods linked to PeriodO mapping

The portal enables users to identify and reuse the resources and it highlights similar datasets based upon closeness to your result or thematically similar datasets, e.g. same type of monument classification.

Enabling access to the Transport Infrastructure Ireland’s (TII) archaeology collections

The Discovery Programme worked in partnership with the TII and the Digital Repository of Ireland (DRI) to improve accessibility to their archaeological data, through the integration of the TII excavation reports into the ARIADNE and the DRI systems. The integrated data included approximately 2,000 excavation reports written by different archaeologists working for a number of consultancies between 2000 and 2016. During the year documents were digitised, and metadata complying with the DRI and ARIADNE’s guidance (Dublin Core) was created.

Digital Repository of Ireland (DRI) Membership

The Discovery Programme became a member of the DRI in 2016. The DRI is a national trusted digital repository for Ireland’s social and cultural data. It links together and preserves both historical and contemporary data held by Irish institutions, providing a central internet access point and interactive multimedia tools. As a member of DRI, The Discovery Programme will be able to ingest its digital material for long-term preservation in the repository, and be more directly involved in shaping the DRI’s future.

The ARIADNE portal, offering access into Europe’s archaeological data records

Mobile instalation during the launch of the Leo Swan Archive

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LoCloud

LoCloud is a best practice network of 31 partners, co-funded under the CIP ICT-PSP Programme of the European Commission (http://www.locloud.eu/). Its overall goal is to add to over 4 million digital resources from European cultural institutions to Europeana (www.europeana.eu). Europeana is an on-line portal providing access to millions of digitised materials from European museums, libraries, archives and multimedia collections. LoCloud started on 1 March 2013 and ran for three years.

During 2016 The Discovery Programme continued to migrate its own digital image collection onto the LoCloud cloud based archiving system enabling access to all the plates and illustrations from previously published Discovery Programme monographs and reports https://discoveryprogrammeimages.locloudhosting.net.

In addition, The Discovery Programme provided support and assistance to two institutions in offering their archaeological resources online:

Royal Society of Antiquities Ireland (RSAI)

LoCloud enabled the digitisation, metadata creation, archiving and online access to two substantial collections (https://rsai.locloudhosting.net)

1. Lantern slide collection – 2,940 digital images generated from lantern slides detailing a range of monuments and archaeological sites in Ireland during the late 1800s but also photographs captured of the daily life and people of Ireland

2. Du Noyer image collection – 2,331 digital images of George Victor Du Noyer’s antiquarian illustrations and paintings of historic monuments and sites across Ireland

Leo Swan Aerial Photographic Archive

The Discovery Programme assisted the National Museum of Ireland in the final digitisation and online publication of Leo Swan’s oblique aerial photographs of various sites around Ireland. Metadata for each of the over 6,500 images has been created from Leo’s own notes and annotations, but also through extensive research by the Principal Investigator Katherine Daly. The collection is available at https://lswanaerial.locloudhosting.net and was launched at an event at the RSAI attended by Leo’s family on the 11 May 2016.

In addition to making these archaeological resources available online through their own dedicated websites, all digital content and associated metadata was harvested into Europeana to enable wider reuse and discovery of the content by the public and researchers.

In February 2016, the final conference for the LoCLoud project was held at the Netherlands Cultural Heritage Agency (Rijksdienst voor het Cultureel Erfgoed - RCE) in the historic town of Amersfoort, where all the project contributors highlighted the impact of the project in their regions and some of the content now available on Europeana.

Following the completion of the project in February 2016 the European Commission carried out a final evaluation of the project, which rated the project as having made “Excellent Progress” and concluded:

“The project has achieved all the objectives and goals that were proposed not only for the third year but overall, both in terms of content ingested into Europeana, tools as well as dissemination and training materials and activities. In particular, the project has exceeded the planned number of 4 million items to be provided to Europeana, which is a very positive outcome. In addition, specific activities for sustainability and exploitation have been identified and some are already ongoing.”

t. Online access to White Islands decorated carvings b. Upcycle Digital Heritage, Derry

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3D-ICONS

Following on from the successful launch of the 3D-ICONS in 2015, the Discovery Programme continued to advance the project by adding additional content and exploring the potential uses of the data collected within archaeology and beyond.

To explore the reuse of digital data created by projects such as 3D –ICONS by researchers and the wider general public, two events where organised.

Workshop: Towards the Development of Cultural Heritage Data (Scotland and Ireland), 25 January, Edinburgh, Scotland

This event was organised in collaboration with Historic Environment Scotland and with the support of the Department of Foreign Affairs, Ireland. It was held at the Quaker Meeting House in Edinburgh. It brought together domain experts from across the cultural heritage sector to discuss and e explore how to improve the reuse and sharing of data in cultural heritage.

The workshop was divided into three sessions, exploring different themes and various challenges and opportunities:

1. Scientific recording of archaeology and material culture for research

2. Recording of archaeology and material culture with communities

3. Exploitation of digital data and research for education and tourism

Upcycle Digital Heritage Event, Derry/Londonderry, 11 & 12 October

In collaboration with the FabLab, Nerve Centre and the CARARE Association (Connecting Archaeology & Architecture in Europe) a two-day event was hosted at the Guildhall in Derry. Entitled Upcycle Digital Heritage, the events aimed to explore how digital cultural heritage data could be enriched and combined to produce new valuable cultural products or experiences. (See 25th Anniversary Events sections for further details)

Toward the end of 2016, with the assistance of intern placement Marie Brohet (Brussels University) Discovery Programme staff were able to explore the use of some advanced presentation tools, which enable 3D models hosted on Sketchfab to be integrated with additional media and text to enable the creation of digital content, which can be used within an education or tourism activity.

The Discovery Programme also promoted the use of their 3D content to third parties. Data was licensed to several people on both a commercial and research use basis. Examples of use included: Newgrange passage tomb interior which was reused by 3D artist Sean Doran to simulate the effects of the winter solstice. The model and The Discovery Programme’s original survey were covered subsequently by RTE News online.

Captiont. Community volunteers froom the Chorca Dhuibhne 3D Project b. Chorca Dhuibhne 3D Model

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2.4 COLLABORATIVE PROJECTS

Chorca Dhuibhne 3D/Ogham 3D

The Dublin Institute for Advanced Studies began a collaboration with the Discovery Programme and the Department of Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht (National Monuments Service) in 2012 to digitally record all the ogham stones in state care. Ogham stones bear inscriptions of personal names and family names in the earliest form of the Irish language written in an alphabet specifically created sometime before the 5th century AD to reflect the sounds of the language. Approximately 400 ogham stones exist throughout Ireland (with the greatest concentrations of stones in Kerry, Cork and Waterford) and in Britain where the Irish settled, primarily in Wales, the Isle of Man, Devon, Cornwall and Scotland.

By 2015 all the stones in state care, 73 in total, had been digitised and added to a dedicated open website https://ogham.celt.dias.ie. Inspired by projects undertaken by Dr Stuart Jeffreys, Digital Design Hub, Glasgow School of Art, the team Dr Nora White (DIAS), Fionbarr Moor (NMS) and Gary Devlin (DP) decided to approach the community in Corca Dhuibhne (the Dingle Peninsula), Co. Kerry to see if they could partner with them in a community project to record the monuments in their landscape using the Structure for Motion photogrammetry technique to generate 3D models. Isabel Bennett, archaeologist and museum curator in Músaem Chorca Dhuibhne sent out a call to interested parties in Autumn 2015 and a lively group met with Nora, Stuart and Gary, surveyor at the Discovery Programme in October 2015.

Following on from the 2015 introduction, the Corca Dhuibhne 3D project began in early 2016. Interested members of the community from the Dingle Peninsula were given a training session and then began to gather imagery themselves. The core group consists of about 10 people. The participants recorded archaeological objects of interest to them in the area in a systematic way in order for 3d models to be generated on a dedicated computer based in Músaem Chorca Dhuibhne, Ballyferriter.

A wide variety of objects have been recorded including cross inscribed stones, rock art, gravestones and standing stones. A total of 40 models were created in 2016. These are high-resolution detailed models which in many cases have yielded readings on the stones that were previously unrecorded or undistinguishable. These results can be viewed online on a dedicated website www.corcadhuibhne3d.ie. This website is developed and maintained by a member of the group. An article about the project appeared in the summer edition of Archaeology Ireland, with a second more comprehensive paper written for Kerry Archaeological and Historical Society Journal. Funding towards the project was provided by the Kerry Group..

Corca Dhuibhne 3D also enabled ogham stones from the peninsula to be recorded and added to our Ogham in 3D project. All ogham stones for the area have now been recorded, modelled and added to the Ogham 3D database and website. Ogham 3D has also continued, with 14 stones in the National Museum and 4 stones in NMI storage in Daingean recorded.

As part of the 25 year celebrations an exhibition entitled ‘Rediscovering the Dingle Peninsula: Digitally Recording and Researching Stone Monuments’ was organised in conjunction with Dublin Institute for Advanced Studies, Kerry Library and Músaem Chorca Dhuibhne.

l. 3D model of Hellfire Club megalithic art r. 3D model of the St Patrick’s Bell Shrine replica

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University College Dublin - Connecting Early Medieval European Collections (CEMEC) (http://cemec-eu.net/)

In 2016-7 The Discovery Programme will provide technical support for UCD in Connecting Early Medieval European Collections (CEMEC) project, which is an EU-funded cultural cooperation project that aims to create a collaborative network, and a cost-effective business model, between eight European museum collections and six technical partners. Drawing on objects from participating museum collections, the project will produce ‘CROSSROADS’, a travelling exhibition focusing on connectivity and cultural exchange during the Early Middle Ages (AD300 -1000) in Europe. The Discovery Programme will provide 3D digital documentation and modelling services to the project and research and experiment with the use of Structure from Motion (SfM) photogrammetry in modelling of small objects. The resulting 3D models will form part of the contents of a virtual and real museum exhibition, which will tour around Europe in 2017-2019.

Hellfire Club Megalithic Art

During the excavation by the Hellfire Club archaeological project led by Abarta Heritage, a stone with megalithic art was discovered. Neil Jackman of Abarta invited the survey team of the Discovery Programme to record the stone. The stone was split into four large segments. Three of these segments were recorded on site and the fourth was recorded in the National Museum’s Resource Centre in Swords. These fragments were then digitally realigned and shared online through media and viewing platform Sketchfab.

Digital Replicas Project

Work continued on the Digital Replicas Project (in partnership with the IRC-funded Breaking the mould: Ireland’s replicas of cultural objects from the historic to the digital project, UCD and CRDS Ltd.) in 2016. The focus of much of the year was a desktop review of the available literature on the subject that will form part of the PhD thesis being completed by Michael Ann Bevivino in UCD.

Important milestones included a research visit to the National Museum’s storage facility in Daingean, Co. Offaly (where most of the historic replica collection of the NMI is stored) and the publication of ‘Embracing historic replicas through a digital medium: the Irish context’ by Michael Ann Bevivino and Robert Shaw (in Haak, Christina and Helfrich, Miguel (eds): Casting. A way to embrace the digital age in analogue fashion? A symposium on the Gipsformerei of the Staatlichen Museen zu Berlin, Heidelberg: arthistoricum.net, 2016. DOI: 10.11588/arthistoricum.95.114). Ms Bevivino submitted the draft of a paper for the peer-reviewed proceedings of the 2015 Destroy the copy conference; this is due to published in 2017. She also gave a number of talks and lectures to various groups including the Classical Association of Ireland and the Hunt Museum.

t. 3D Point cloud model of Martello Tower at Sandycove, Dublin b. Interior of reconstructed room

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Boston College, USA - Joycestick

The survey and 3D staff at the Discovery Programme collaborated with Professor Joseph Nugent and his staff at Boston College Institute of Irish Studies on the development of the ‘Joycestick’ project, which aims to virtually bring to life James Joyce’s Ulysses through “gamification”. Users wear a virtual reality headset and headphones and walk around to explore in real space various scenes from the book. ‘Joycestick’ tells the story by recreating scenes from Ulysses, all of which were modelled through researching scenes within the novel and the objects from the period.

The Discovery Programme began its involvement with ‘Joycestick’ and Boston College in the early development stages of the project with the 3D documentation of one of the locations in Ulysees, the Martello Tower at Sandycove, Dublin. Following several days of recording a full 3D point cloud model was created of the site. This enabled the team to remove any modern fittings and components which had been inserted since its initial construction and led to the reconstruction of the tower as it would have been in 1904 when it was visited by Joyce. Further modelling work was carried out to develop a list of near game ready environment assets, including textures and geometry for the Martello Tower.

The Discovery Programme sent two representatives to speak at a conference held in Boston College in October on the use of gamification and VR within the humanities. This conference centred on the potential of the ‘Joycestick’ project, the technicalities of its creation and demonstrating an early proof of concept to a small audience. Development of the project continued and The Discovery Programme stepped back to allow the student development team in Boston to take over the project’s development. The project was presented at the ‘Virtual Heritage Network: Ireland 2016’ conference at UCC in December. The project will be officially be launched in 2017.

Close range 3D scanning of the damaged column capitals, Four Courts, Dublin

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OPW - Leinster House – 3D surveying and modelling

The Discovery Programme was invited to collaborate with the OPW, Dublin Institute of Technology and Carlton University (Canada) to research the potential of Historic Building Information Modelling (HBIM) to assist in the management and renovation of the historic core of Leinster House. This exciting project, building on innovative work undertaken on the Parliament Building in Ottawa by Carlton University required a complete 3D survey of Leinster House as a detailed and accurate framework for subsequent modelling phases.

The objective of the survey in 2016 was to gather laser scan point cloud data for the whole of Leinster House – internal and external – to enable modelling to begin the following year.This was an exceptionally challenging survey task, working in a busy, functioning building.

In order to improve collaboration and the direction of research into HBIM, the Discovery Programme in conjunction with Maurice Murphy of DIT and the OPW organised a two-day workshop exploring the uses and creation of HBIM models.

OPW- Four Courts Conservation, Dublin

As part of the Discovery Programme’s continuing collaborative work with the OPW two of the Corinthian capitals on the Four Courts were recorded and modelled. Capitol No. 3 was recorded as an example of one which is only slightly weathered and Capitol No. 9 was recorded due to its severe deterioration. Capitol No. 9 is due to be the first to be replaced as part of an ongoing restoration project of the building.

The capitols were recorded using a number of techniques; terrestrial laser scanning, object scanning and photogrammetry in order to give a precise record of their current state. The resulting models were then used for a high detailed digital reconstruction of the capitol in its pre-weathered form. Pattern books and other records were used to aid the digital reconstruction. The finished digital reconstruction will be used as a resource to aid with the real world manufacture of the new capitol.

Minister Heather Humphreys T.D at the Clones Research Showcase

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2.5 25TH ANNIVERSARY EVENTS

The main focus of public engagement and outreach activities for 2016 was a series of events to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the foundation of the Discovery Programme. The majority of these events were held outside Dublin to reflect our commitment to public engagement by revisiting the communities who had hosted our research in the past as well as highlighting some of our ongoing community projects.

Clones Research Showcase

A showcase of our research on Clones High Cross and St Tighernach’s tomb shrine took place on Monday, 20 June 2016 at Clones Canal Stores. This event was attended by Heather Humphreys T.D., Minister for Arts, Heritage, Regional, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs.

Public Archaeology Symposium

A symposium on Public Archaeology was hosted by the Discovery Programme, on 11 May 2016. The symposium included three papers, by Dr Stuart Jeffrey (Glasgow School of Art), Prof Sian Jones (Professor of Environmental History and Heritage, University of Stirling) and Robert Shaw (The Discovery Programme)

The symposium was followed by the launch of the Leo Swan Aerial Photographic Archive by Raghnall Ó Floinn, Director of the National Museum of Ireland. Several of Leo Swan’s photographs were digitally displayed at this well attended event.

Ballyhoura Exhibition

An exciting travelling exhibition outlining archaeological research in the Ballyhoura Hills area was launched on Tuesday 19 July, in Kilmallock Library. This exhibition entitled ‘Farmers, Friars and Frontiers: the archaeology of the Ballyhoura Hills’ aimed to communicate the results of the Discovery Programme’s research in the area in an accessible and engaging manner. The exhibition, organised with the assistance of Ballyhoura Development, travelled between three venues: Kilmallock Library, the Tearooms at Doneraile Wildlife Park and Kilfinane Library. As the aim of the exhibition was to create local awareness of the region’s archaeological heritage and the Discovery Programme’s research venues that local people would visit regularly were chosen.

Launch of Tara: the Guidebook

A new informative and entertaining guidebook on Tara by Dr Mairéad Carew was launched on the Hill of Tara on 25 August. It was a fantastic evening on the Hill of Tara, and the fine weather helped to entice a large crowd to the event. The guidebook, which is richly illustrated, is full of fascinating facts, observations and insights into one of the most important archaeological sites in Ireland.

The launch was a cultural evening featuring music and poetry. The book was formally launched by Prof George Eogan, who recounted his experience of working on the excavations in Tara in the 1950s. The music and conversation continued at a reception in Maguires.

Heritage week in Glendalough

Digitally Recording Glendalough: This event which was held in St Kevin’s Church included demonstrations of 3D recording by technology department staff; carved stone in the church was recorded using a handheld 3D scanner. The results of recent 3D surveys in Glendalough and elsewhere were presented to the public as part of this event.

The Glendalough Graveyard Trail: Members of the Glendalough Heritage Forum were involved in a graveyard survey with Historic Graves (http://historicgraves.com/) and the Department of Archaeology, UCD (https://www.ucd.ie/archaeology/) during Heritage Week 2015. The success of the graveyard survey led to the formulation of a graveyard trail by members of the Glendalough Heritage Forum with assistance from the Discovery Programme’s graphic designer Ian McCarthy who designed the final leaflet. It is planned to produce an updated version to include the results of the 2016 graveyard survey.

Glendalough: An Age Old Attraction: An exhibition of photographs from the National Library of Ireland photographic archives entitled ‘Glendalough: An Age Old Attraction’ was compiled by local volunteers with some assistance from the Discovery Programme and the Heritage Office, Wicklow County Council. The exhibition in the Brockagh Heritage Centre was launched in early August and its popularity led to it remaining in the centre until the end of the year.

t. Derry Upcycle DigitalHeritage event b. Dingle Library exhibition30 31

Digital Heritage events at the Guildhall, Derry, 11 and 12 October

These two digital heritage events were organised in conjunction with the FabLab NI (http://www.fablabni.com/) and the CARARE network (http://www.carare.eu/).

At the first event secondary school students from the local area had the opportunity to gain hands on experience of digitally recording heritage objects and producing 3D prints.

Activities included:

• 3D Printing and fabrication methods in the production of heritage objects. An example included the creation of a scale models of Skellig Michael using laser cutters and cardboard

• 3D scanning using state of the art tools and low cost structure from motion photography. Students were able to create 3D models of each other which were subsequently 3D printed

• Using virtual reality to explore historical and archaeological environments, including Knowth and reconstructions of WWI battlefields

• Using Chromakey Green screen technology and period costumes students created live action stories and short film sets within historic periods, exploring the use of video and film in the creation of historical narratives and public dissemination

The second event was aimed at cultural heritage professionals with an interest in the application of digital methods. Four key-note presentations from domain experts in the field followed by a series of focussed discussions. There were key-note presentations from experts in the field - Dr Stuart Jeffrey of the Glasgow School of Art, Antonella Fresa of Promoter, Dr Danielle O’Donovan of the Irish Heritage Trust and Niall Ó hOisín of Noho. Each presentation provoked lively discussion sessions as participants thought about and discussed topics such as how digital heritage can be used to engage with communities and respond to their priorities for their local heritage and how to design learning and museum experiences which really stimulate people’s interest.

Dingle Library Exhibition

An exhibition entitled ‘Rediscovering the Dingle Peninsula: Digitally recording and researching stone monuments’ was launched in Dingle Library on 3 November. The exhibition highlighted the research that was carried in the Dingle Peninsula throughout those 25 years. The stone forts of the Dingle Peninsula, such as Caherconree and Dunbeg which were included in the Western Stone Forts project were the focus of one of the panels. This was one of The Discovery Programme’s earliest projects. More recent research on the peninsula has involved the creation of 3D models as part of the 3D Icons project (www.3dicons.ie includes Gallarus Oratory). The Corca Dhuibhne 3D project which is still ongoing, is a community project in which local people record sites such as ogham stones and create 3D models. The results of this work can be seen on the Corca Dhuibhne 3d website (www.corcadhuibhne3d.ie).

This exhibition was organised in conjunction with out project partners of the Corca Dhuibhne 3D project, Músaem Chorca Dhuibhne/Oidhreacht Chorca Dhuibhne, the Dublin Institute for Advance Studies and Kerry Group.

Martin Doody lecture

A lecture in honour of Martin Doody, the former Director of the Ballyhoura Hills Project took place on 12 December 2016. This well attended lecture entitled “I can see clearly now….’ Solar symbolism in the Early Bronze Age” was presented by Mary Cahill, Keeper of Irish Antiquities, National Museum of Ireland in the Helen Roe Theatre, 63 Merrion Square. The lecture was followed by a reception.

Other outreach activities

The Discovery Programme distributed some of back catalogue of publications to postgraduate archaeology students and the archaeology departments in third level institutions as part of our 25th anniversary celebrations. The Public Engagement and Outreach Officer also completed a field name recording project with transition year students in St Mary’s CBS School in Enniscorthy. The website and social media accounts were continually updated with news and events.

Archaeology 2025 stakeholder workshop, RIA, Dublin 32 33

1.6 ARCHAEOLOGY 2025 STRATEGY

Archaeology 2025 is to be a long-term archaeological strategy developed on behalf of the Royal Irish Academy, and facilitated by The Discovery Programme. The strategy aims to create a sustainable future for the practice and resource of archaeology. In doing so, it will identify both the challenges faced and the strategic pathways to be taken in achieving sustainability.

In 2015, the President and Council of the Academy approved to the RIA Standing Committee of Archaeology’s plan to assess the current state and future needs of archaeology in Ireland. Recent social, economic, technological and political shifts prompted the urgent necessity to map out a sustainable future for the management, resourcing and promotion of archaeology in Ireland. The RIA Standing Committee was felt to be ideally placed to undertake this initiative as it consists of a cross-section of experts from the academic, commercial and public sectors in Ireland.

It was recognised from an early stage that to create a realistic strategy, as well as canvassing opinion within the profession, engagement with those who interact with archaeology outside of the profession was key. Therefore, Archaeology 2025 planned an extensive eight month-long consultation process guided by a Discussion Document which began in 2015. This concluded in June 2016. Guiding principles were inclusivity, cross-fertilisation of ideas and future orientation.

The consultation phase proved hugely successful. A total of 61 archaeology/ heritage stakeholders and 51 external stakeholders on local, national, cross-border and international levels engaged in the process. Flexibility of engagement allowed a wide range of people to negotiate geographical and logistical boundaries to input their voice. Methods included:

• Face to face meetings

• Workshops

• Written submissions

• Presentations

• Social media presence, including tweet chats

• Online data collating surveys

• Public events – such as a world café format assembly

A notable consequence of the consultation process was that stakeholders within archaeology embraced opportunities to talk to external bodies who deal with archaeological issues. It also demonstrated an unforeseen willingness from areas such as science communities to the planning profession for closer collaborations.

Following fruitful consultation with a diverse stakeholder group, Archaeology 2025 Strategy was drafted. It was then put online for feedback to ensure all voices were heard. 75% of those who responded felt the consultation process allowed ‘participation for all’, 68% were satisfied that there was ‘inclusivity of stakeholders’ and 65% agreed that ‘fresh conversations for the future’ were enabled.

The revised document subsequently began a rigorous course of RIA multiple peer reviewing. Archaeology 2025 is currently seeking RIA policy oversight approval.

Members of the Discovery Programme board and CEO

The Discovery Programme Personnel and Meetings

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BOARD OF DIRECTORS 2016:

Dr Finbar McCormick (chair) Queens University Belfast

Dr Colin Breen University of Ulster

Prof Howard Clarke Royal Irish Academy

Prof Elizabeth Fitzpatrick NUI Galway

Dr Ruth Johnson Dublin City Council

Ms Margaret Keane, National Monuments Service (DAHG)

Ms Beatrice Kelly Heritage Council

Ms Deirdre O’Hara National Standards Authority of Ireland

Prof Tadhg O’Keeffe University College Dublin

Dr Gill Plunkett Queens University Belfast

Meeting dates 2016

Audit Committe:

24 June / 6 September / 24 October / 12 December

Directorate:

15 January / 17 February / 26 April / 24 June / 6 September / 24 October / 12 December

AGM:

24 October

Filming the Great British Railway Journey television documentary at Tara36 37

DISCOVERY PROGRAMME STAFF 2016:

Staff Role

Dr Edel Bhreathnach CEOKathleen O’Sullivan Company AdministratorAoife Kane Administrative AssistantDr Ingelise Stuits Environmentalist Anthony Corns Technology ManagerRobert Shaw Senior GeosurveyorGary Devlin GeosurveyorAaron Deevy 3D ModellerDr Evie Monaghan Digital ArchivistLouise Kennedy Digital ArchivistDr Roseanne Schot Post-Doctoral Fellow Stephen Kehoe Remote Sensing AnalystIan McCarthy Graphic DesignerDr Keith Smith Research AssistantDr Anne-Julie Lafaye Post-Doctoral Research FellowMary Teehan Strategy coordinator (Archaeology 2025)Dr Linda Shine Public Engagement and Outreach Officer Michael Ann Bevivino Postgraduate ProgrammeDr Gerard Dowling Research AssistantKateVan Eliashvil Intern, Dublin Institute of TechnologyMarie Brohet Intern, University of Brussels

WInter solstice simulation inside the chamber at Brú na Bóinne © Seán Doran

Lectures, Conferences Events and

Publications

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LECTURES, CONFERENCE, EVENTS 2016

January 25 January – Presentations by Anthony Corns and Robert Shaw to a workshop entitled ‘Towards the Development of Cultural Heritage Data (Ireland and Scotland)’ which took place in Edinburgh, Scotland.

As part of the consultation phased for Archaeology 2025 a series of six Tweet Chats were held every Wednesday between 20 January and 24 February to allow those unable to travel to public consultation events to discuss the issues of concern to them.

A series of 8 workshops were held between January and April with academic and public sector organisations as part of the Archaeology 2025 Consultation Phase.

February 4 - 5 February – Anthony Corns and Louise Kennedy attended the LoCloud Final Conference, Amersfoort, Netherlands

10-11 February –Anthony Corns presented a paper at the Digital Past Conference, Llandudno, Wales

15 February – Gary Devlin gave a lecture to students of Archaeology at NUI, Galway.

17 February - Anthony Corns gave a lecture to MA & PhD Students of the Department of Art History in University College Dublin

19 February – Dr Edel Bhreathnach, ‘Kings, ceremonies and landscapes:understanding the royal sites of Ireland’, Mahindra Humanities Center Seminar on Celtic Literature and Culture, Harvard University, Boston MA

26 February – The Ballyhoura Hills Discovery Project, 25th Anniversary- The Discovery Programme. Presented by Dr Linda Shine and Dr Evie Monaghan at the Ballyhoura Heritage Hub and Tourism Strategy Launch

March 7 March – Anthony Corns gave a lecture to students and staff at the Sligo Institute of Technology

11 March - Anthony Corns, attended the E-RIHS/ARIADNE Meeting, Amsterdam, Netherlands

12 March – Dr Edel Bhreathnach, ‘Two ambitious kings in Ferns: Diarmait mac Maíl na mBó (d. 1072) and Diarmait mac Murchada (d. 1171), Conference: Gaelic Capital and Norman Stronghold: Ferns and the transformation of Ireland, Ferns Visitor Centre, Co Wexford. Organised by The Ferns Heritage Project and Weford County Council

17 – 18 March –Robert Shaw presented a paper at the EAC Symposium: Digital Archaeological Heritage in Brighton, UK

21 March - Gary Devlin gave a presentation at the Ogham in 3D fieldschool at Ballyferriter, Kerry

22 March – Dr Edel Bhreathnach, ‘Tara: its importance, nationally and internationally’, Meath Archaeological & historical Society, Dalgan Park, Navan.

29 March – Anthony Corns attended an ARIADNE Project Meeting, Oslo, Norway

April Archaeology 2025 Assembly, in the Royal Irish Academy, Dublin. World Café style event facilitating collaboration of all stakeholders in a formal way using an informal structure.

29/30 April - Mary Teehan gave a Presentation on Archaeology 2025 at the IAI AGM in Galway

May 5 May –Anthony Corns, Gary Devlin and Robert Shaw presented papers at the HBIM Workshop, DIT, Dublin

9 -10 May – Anthony Corns attended an E-RIHS Project Application Meeting, Florence, Italy

40 41

June 3 June – Dr Edel Bhreathnach, ‘St Kevin; hermit & medieval saint’, OPW/Glendalough Heritage Forum, Visitors Centre, Glendalough

22 June - Dr Roseanne Schot presented a paper at the Tara Project Outreach Event, Hill of Skreen, Co. Meath

22 June - Presentation on 3d Icons and Monastic Ireland by Linda Shine at continuous professional development course for art teachers. This event was as part of TRIAC (The Irish Art Research Centre) History of Art summer school hosted in Trinity College Dublin

23 June – Dr Edel Bhreathnach, ‘Knockainey and the goddess Áine’, Knockainey Historical & Conservation Society, Knockainey, Co. Limerick

August 24 August – Anthony Corns, Gary Devlin and Linda Shine, Heritage Week Public Engagement, Glendalough, Wicklow

21 August - Dr Roseanne Schot gave a lecture at the Hill of Uisneach, as part of the sites Heritage Week Events.

October 19 October – Gary Devlin and Aaron Deevy presented papers at the Joyce Stick Conference, Boston College, USA

20 October – Dr Edel Bhreathnach, ‘Views on monasticism in Cork and Liège: Aislinge Meic Coinglinne and Libellus de Diversis Ordinibus et Professionibus qui sunt in Aeclessia’, Oxford Celtic Seminar, Jesus College, Oxford

25 – 26 October – Anthony Corns attended the E-RIHS Project Application Meeting, Lisbon, Portugal

November 9 November – Dr Edel Bhreathnach, ‘Social inclusion and exclusion in the greater landscape of the Tara ceremonial complex’, Royal Residences Network Workshop, University of Aberdeen

15 November – Presentation: Anthony Corns gave a lecture to staff and students of the Department of Archaeology Queens University Belfast.

15 November – Dr Edel Bhreathnach, ‘Monasticism in medieval Ireland’, All Souls Fellows seminar, Oxford

21 November – Dr Edel Bhreathnach, ‘Monks on islands: landscapes of monasticism in Ireland AD900-1300’, ASNC Graduate Seminar, Dept of Anglo-Saxon, Norse & Celtic, Cambridge

29 November – Anthony Corns, presented a paper at the ‘Heritage, Virtual and Augmented’ Conference, FARO Organisation, Brussels, Belgium

29 November – Lecture by Dr Linda Shine to Junior Freshman History students in Trinity College Dublin as part of their ‘Doing History’ course.

December 9 December – Anthony Corns, presented a paper at the ‘3D4 Ever Digital Preservation Alliance Conference’, Welcome Trust, London, UK.

9 December - Dr Evie Monaghan gave a paper entitled Collaboration in Digitising Cultural Heritage: Transport Infrastructure Ireland’s Heritage Collection and the wider European Context’ at the Virtual Heritage Network Conference in Cork.

9 December – Gary Devlin, presented a paper at the Virtual Heritage Network Ireland Conference, UCC, Cork.

14 December – Anthony Corns and Evie Monaghan presented a paper on the activity of the Discovery Programme in ARIADNE, ARIADNE Final Conference, Florence, Italy

14 December – Edel Bhreathnach and Ann Lynch interviewed Prof George Eogan about the foundation of the Discovery Programme.

PUBLICATIONS 2016

Schot, R., Fenwick, J., Beusing, R. and Rassmann, K. 2016. A renewed programme of discovery at Tara. Archaeology Ireland, Vol. 30, Issue No. 115, Wordwell Publishing, Dublin, 18–21.

Beusing, R., Rassmann, K., Fenwick, J. and Schot, R. 2016. Landschaftsarchäologische forschungen am königssitz von Tara. e-Forschungsberichte des Deutschen Archäologischen Institut 3, 69–73.

Schot, R., Waddell, J. and Fenwick, J. 2016. Geophysical survey at Rathcroghan 2010–2012. Emania 23, 51–9.

Lafaye, A. 2016 ‘Les franciscains en Irlande: architecture et espaces internes’, Etudes franciscaines, 9-1.

Lafaye, A. 2016 ‘Les ordres monastiques comme vecteurs de diffusion en Europe’ (English version : ‘Monastic Orders as Vehicles of Diffusion in Europe’, forthcoming), Encyclopédie pour une histoire nouvelle de l’Europe [online].

Smith, K.L. 2016 The Inventory from the Franciscan Friary of Kinelahan’, Archivium Hibernicum, LXIX, (2016), pp 207-14

Bennett, I. Devlin, G. Harrington, C., 2016, Corca Dhuibhne 3D. Archaeology Ireland, Vol. 30, Issue No. 115, Wordwell Publishing, Dublin 17-20

Bevivino, M., Shaw, R. 2016, Embracing Historical Replicas through a Digital Medium The Irish Context, In book: Casting. A way to embrace the digital age in analogue fashion?: A symposium on the Gipsformerei of the Staatlichen Museen zu Berlin, Edition: 1, Publisher: arthistoricum.net, Heidelberg, Editors: Christina Haak, Miguel Helfrich, pp.199-211, DOI: 10.11588/arthistoricum.95.114

Bhreathnach, E. 2016, ‘Celtic Studies in the Digital Age’, Proceedings of the Harvard Celtic Colloquium, 2015: 35 , pp. 18-35

Other Coverage

Dr Roseanne Schot and Dr Mairead Carew were filmed at the Hill of Tara as part of the BBC documentary ‘Great British Railway Journeys goes to Ireland’, which is presented by Michael Portillo.

Discovery Programme staff were filmed surveying at Tara and the Hill of Skreen for a documentary on High Tech Archaeology for ARTE (European Culture Channel).

There was good local press coverage of our 25th anniversary events, with articles appearing in the Northern Standard, The Kerryman, Wets Kerry Live, The Meath Chronicle, the Limerick Leader, the Irish Examiner, the Laois Tatler and the Tipp Tatler. Discovery Programme staff were also interviewed on Northern Sound and LMFM.

Financial Statements

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INCOME AND EXPENDITURE ACCOUNT For the year ended 31 December 2015

Amount in Euros (€)

Income 2015 2014

Heritage Council 750,000 750,000

Western Stone Fort guide book sales 5,218 7,216

EU Culture 2007 - 2013 framework - ArchaeoLandscape Europe project 38,452 31,318

EU Competitiveness & Innovation Framework Programme - 3D Icons project 7.305 122,106

European Union - Ariadne project 37,045 22,052

CIP Best Practice Network, European Union - LoCloud project 55,474 3,433

University College Dublin – Mapping Death Project 1,054 678

Dublin – Monastic Ireland Project 37,020 23,077

Outsources Services 96,884 26,232

Other Income 5,123 8,030

Grant Income 3,450 -

Monastic lreland Conference 15,372 -

Interest Receivable 5 11

1,052,402 994,153

Transferred from capital account 4,420 19,212 1,056,822 1,013,365

EXPENDITURE 2015 2014

Wages and salaries 655,407 747,152

Interest and charges 1,141 1,021

Promotions and conferences 33,261 9,146

Office and accommodation 117,437 117,126

Research consultancy 6,207 17,019

Photography - 4,775

Training and recruitment 1,628 2,223

Travel and subsistence 20,433 33,288

Publications 15,163 17,279

Accountancy and professional fees 24,801 28,715

Auditors remuneration 3,000 2,500

Subscriptions 5,077 3,427

Depreciation 36,149 31,694

Fieldwork and excavation costs 16,592 3,429

(936,296) (1,018,794)

Surplus/Deficit for the year 120,526 (5,429)

The company had no recognised gains or losses in the financial year or the preceding financial year other that those dealt with in the statement of Income and Expenditure. The result on ordinary activities arises solely from continuing activities.

The financial statements were approved and authorised for issue by the board of directors on 6 September 2016 and signed on its behalf by Dr Finbar McCormick and Prof Tadhg O’Keeffe.Archaeology 2025 final report and summary findings publications

RGK and Discovery Programme staff during geophysical surveys at the Hill of Skreen44 45

BALANCE SHEETFor the year ended 31 December 2015 Amount in Euros (€)

Fixed Assets 2015 2014

Property, Plants and Equipment 66,561 71,265

Current Assets

Inventory 13,397 12,210

Receivables 85,283 57,132

Cash and cash equivalents 181,646 150,613

280,326 219,955

CREDITORS (Amounts falling due within one year) (102,542) (162,981) NET CURRENT ASSETS 177,784 56,974 TOTAL CURRENT ASSETS 244,345 128,239 1,056,822 1,013,365

Capital and Reserves

Capital Account 66,845 71,265

Retained revenue reserves 177,500 56,974

244,345 128,239 120,526 (5,429)

The financial statements were approved and authorised for issue by the board of directors on 6 September 2016 and signed on its behalf by Dr Finbar McCormick and Prof Tadhg O’Keeffe.

The Discovery Programme is fundedby The Heritage Council

The Discovery Programme 6 Mount Street Lower, Dublin 2 tel: +353 (0) 1 639 3039 fax: +353 (0) 1 639 3710 email: info@discoveryprogramme.ie web: www.discoveryprogramme.ie