Cover: The 3D-Icons project continued in 2013 which included a 3D survey of Dún Aonghasa

Professor Terence Barry

Message from the Chairman

In May 1992 Professor George Eogan, the first Chair ofThe Discovery Programme presented the organisation’s Strategies and Questions to the then Taoiseach Mr Charles J. Haughey. This short publication was The Discovery Programme’s foundation document that determined its future direction. Its aims were:

1.1 Through archaeological and related research to work towards a coherent and comprehensive picture of human life on this island from earliest times.

1.2 To formulate the results in ways which can be communicated both to experts and to the general public.

A number of key principles were laid down in this document that were to influence and enhance The Discovery Programme’s work from the beginning:

• The Discovery Programme projects were to be multidisciplinary: intensive archaeological research was to be related to research in other disciplines.

• Archaeological research was to draw on artefact and monument distribution, aerial, topographical and geophysical surveys as a preliminary to choosing sites for excavation.

• Communication to the general public was of paramount importance.

Since 1992, many scholars have received their professional training as part of The Discovery Programme’s teams, many communities have encountered archaeology throughThe Discovery Programme’s projects and The Discovery Programme’s research has been communicated in a variety of formats, in major monographs, The Discovery Programme’s Reports, guidebooks, school packs and posters, and increasingly through online resources. And what of the original objective of gaining a greater understanding of Ireland’s past? How has The Discovery Programme contributed to the picture of human life in Ireland from earliest times? I can only highlight a small number of advances that have occurred as a result of The Discovery Programme’s research (there are many more):

• In methodology, The Discovery Programme has maintained and developed its multidisciplinary approach and by doing so has refined many research questions. Historical research has formed an essential part of most projects including the Tara Research Project and the Medieval Rural Settlement Project. Artefactual studies have been undertaken for many projects and none more so than with the current Late Iron Age and Roman Ireland project.

• In the field of topographical and geophysical surveying, The Discovery Programme has been a leader in experimenting with new technology in archaeology and more recently in considering new scientific methods for archaeological research.

This advanced use of technology has been acknowledged throughout Europe and has resulted in The Discovery Programme obtaining funding from the EU as part of transnational network. For example, as part of the 3D-Icons EU project, many iconic monuments such as Dún Aonghasa stone fort, Poulnabrone wedge tomb and the monastic island of Skellig Michael have been surveyed using this technology with quite spectacular results. • All this activity ultimately feeds into The Discovery Programme’s fundamental endeavour, that of archaeological research. In over twenty years of its existence, The Discovery Programme has carried out major excavations at a variety of important sites, notably, Dún Aonghasa, Mooghaun, Tulsk, Lough Kinale and Tara. These investigations resolved some issues, and as is the nature of research, led to new questions and certainly changed the interpretation of the first core period, that of the so-called ‘Celtic period’ (Late Bronze Age/Iron Age).

As we near The Discovery Programme’s twenty-fifth anniversary (in 2016), it is timely that we take stock of the organisation’s place in Irish archaeological research, reconsider its structure and role, and review how The Discovery Programme’s projects evolve and are managed.The new Strategic Plan points towards a renewed energy and a vision that will include a review of its structure – to make it fit for purpose from 2014 onwards. Many colleagues might ask how this will change The Discovery Programme and their relationship with the organisation? If there is a key message that I wish you to bring with you, it is that, in days when there is little time or space to think and to discuss scholarly questions in depth and at leisure, the role of initiating and facilitating such debates will be actively pursued by The Discovery Programme. This will involve seeking to work with a wide range of people, from senior academics to school teachers and pupils. This will be done under the theme of Discovering Ireland’s Ancient Peoples and Landscapes and it is our aim that projects will evolve out of these debates and that the wider public will begin to understand that they themselves are the custodians of the past.

Professor Terence Barry, Chairman

The Discovery Programme63 Merrion Square South, Dublin 2

t. +353 (0) 1 639 3039 f. +353 (0) 1 639 3710e. info@discoveryprogramme.ie

www.discoveryprogramme.ie

The Discovery Programme is funded by The Heritage Council

1. Discovery Programme Strategic Plan 2014-2017

2. Discovery Programme Projects 1. The Late Iron Age and ‘Roman’ Ireland

2. Technology Projects

3. Environmental Projects

4. Monastic Ireland: landscape and settlement (Phase 1)

5. Online Inventory of Leo Swan’s Aerial Photographs

6. New Projects - Launch of the Western Stone Forts Project

3. Discovery Programme’s Personnel and Meetings

4. Lectures, Conferences and Publications

5. Financial Statements

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Contents Pages

Technology manager Anthony Corns is joined by Mark Lusby (City Walls Heritage Project, Derry) and the Mayor of Derry,Cllr Martin Reilly, during the final stages of the 3D laser scanning of the city walls as part of the 3D-Icons project01 02

The Plan sets out seven key tasks that The Discovery Programme’s team will strive to complete between2014 and 2017:

1. To develop The Discovery Programme into a national research centre dedicated to advanced multidisciplinary studies in Irish archaeology and related disciplines in the humanities, science and technology

2. To embark on an overview of the current state of research in Irish archaeology from the first settlements (8000BC) to contemporary archaeology with a view to identifying potential research themes for future projects

3. To work with various cultural, educational and heritage institutions to coordinate and share Irish archaeological, historical and topographical data within the context of a European framework

4. To support tourism bodies to improve the quality of information available to the public regarding Ireland’s cultural heritage

5. To create an outreach programme with schools, local communities and national curriculum development units

Discovery Programme Strategic Plan 2014-2017

The Discovery Programme’s mission is to explore Ireland’s past and its cultural heritage by conducting advanced research in Irish archaeology and related disciplines and by disseminating its findings widely to the global community.

The Discovery Programme’s Strategic Plan 2014-2017 was launched by Mr Jimmy Deenihan T.D., Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht on 10 December 2013 in the Helen Roe Theatre, Royal Society of Antiquaries of Ireland. The major themeof the Plan is Discovering Ireland’s Ancient Peoples and Landscapes. Its main objective is to strengthen The Discovery Programme’s capacity to employ advanced technology and to foster expert multidisciplinary research in Irish archaeology.In addition, the Plan recognizes the huge importance of translating this research into information that is accessible to the public, and especially to local communities and schools to enable them to become custodians of their own landscapes.

6. To complete The Discovery Programme’s outstanding projects and publish them in various formats and media 7. To seek external funding in addition to the annual state funding for The Discovery Programme’s initiatives, projects and publications

The Plan also recognizes that the organisation’s governance structure requires updating and that this will be a priority in 2014 and 2015.

Appointment of new Chief Executive Officer

Dr Edel Bhreathnach was appointed CEO in February 2013 to replace Dr Brian Lacey who had served in the position since 1998. Mr Anthony Corns had filled the position of Acting CEO from July 2012. Dr Bhreathnach is a medieval historian who worked on The Discovery Programme’s Tara Landscape Project from 1992 to 2000. She subsequently became Academic Project Manager at the UCD Mícheál Ó Cléirigh Institute for Irish History and Civilisation where she led a number of programmes associated with the extensive historical archive of the Irish Franciscan Order. She has published widely on many topics relating to medieval Irish history and landscape including two of The Discovery Programme’s monographs, Tara: a select bibliography (1995) and The kingship and landscape of Tara (2005).

The Ogham 3D project with DIAS continued in 2013. A portion of thepointcloud from Tullaherrin, Co. Kilkenny03 0

4

2.DISCOVERY PROGRAMMEPROJECTS

An aerial image of Inishmaan on the Aran Islands, which features in Western Stone forts

1. The Late Iron Age and

‘Roman’ Ireland (LIARI)

2. GIS and Surveying

3. EU Co-Funded Projects

4. Collaborative Projects

5. Environmental Projects

6. Monastic Ireland: landscape

and settlement (Phase 1)

7. Online Inventory Of

Leo Swan’s Aerial Photographs

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2.1DISCOVERY PROGRAMMEPROJECTS

The Late Iron Age and ‘Roman Ireland (LIARI)

Plans were put in place for geophysical survey to commenceat Freestone Hill, Co. Kilkenny

2.1 The Late Iron Age and ‘Roman Ireland (LIARI)

In March 2013, following the presentation of a detailed research framework to the Acting CEO and the Project Committee, the Directorate agreed to extend the LIARI Project for a further two years. As the team were hopefulof an extension to the project, work had already been put in place to ensure a smooth transition from the preliminary18 month period to LIARI Phase 2.

Landscape Investigations and Geophysical Survey

Building on the successful results of previous geophysical surveys obtained by LIARI in the Drumanagh–Loughshinny region in north Co. Dublin, the project completed a second phase of field investigations in this landscape in early 2013. Focusing on the large coastal promontory fort at Drumanagh – a site long suspected of having been an important entrepôt or port-of-trade connecting eastern Ireland with Roman Britain – the surveys were aimed at elucidating the nature of several potential square/rectangular features mapped by LiDAR survey inside the fort and at broadening the investigation of its immediate hinterland. The results of this work, which revealed a rich diversity of buried archaeological remains, provide vivid testimony to the protracted history of activity on the promontory, with features suggestive of settlement and funerary/ritual activity, as well as post-medieval occupation and agriculture.

This year also marked the beginning of a new phase of LIARI fieldwork in the wider Meath/north Dublin region, involving large-scale geophysical surveys and landscape analysis. These investigations, which are on-going, build on a substantial body of research by The Discovery Programme and other scholars in the Tara landscape since the early 1990s. The work by LIARI is aimed at investigating the relationships between prominent hilltop sites that are believed, on the basis of archaeological, topographical and early documentary evidence, to have been important focal centres in the early centuries AD. These include the Hill of Lloyd, the site of a prehistoric enclosure overlooking the early monastic foundation at Kells, Co. Meath, and the nearby rise of Faughan Hill, whose strategic and symbolic importance is emphasized by its identification in early documentary sources as the burial place of Niall of the Nine Hostages and the site of a battle between his descendants and other rival claimants to the kingship of Tara in AD482. The large, internally-ditched enclosure on the summit of Knockbrack, Co. Dublin, and elevated terrain of Mallahow in its shadow, were also selected for study as part of the present investigations. The remarkable array of archaeological monuments and features revealed by this work to date clearly demonstrate that these sites are not

only worthy of study in their own right, but when considered from a landscape perspective, also have the potential to enhance our understanding of social organisation and identity in the wider Tara region in late prehistory.

LIARI Database (Archaeological Excavations)

Work continued this year on the collation of all available archaeological data relating to sites and features of known Iron Age date. This research has so far amassed information on over one thousand individual monuments and features from approximately 450 sites for which an absolute date between c. 400 BC and AD 600 is available. Of these dates, roughly half span the period from the fifth century BC to the first century AD and about 400 lie securely within the late Iron Age (first–fifth centuries AD). The array of evidence represented is extensive, ranging from enclosures and houses to ceremonial structures, funerary monuments and burials, as well as features associated with metalworking, agriculture, food production and other domestic and ritual activities. This information forms the basis for a critical reassessment of the Irish late Iron Age to be published as part of The Discovery Programme Report 8.

Roman and Imported Artefacts

Work continued throughout 2013 on the cataloguing of known Roman and imported material from the late Iron Age period in Ireland. The process included the updating of existing datasets on known objects, along with discussions on the most effective medium for dissemination of these once they have been reclassified. Members of the team worked with colleagues at the National Museum of Northern Ireland, University College Dublin and the National Museum of Ireland to review and photograph Romano-British objects in their collections. The review of the associated topographical files in the National Museum of Ireland began in earnest in the autumn. This research is on-going and will inform the agreed on-line output for all Roman and imported finds from Ireland.

Isotope Analysis on Human and Faunal Skeletal Material

Central to LIARI research is the investigation of mobility and migration using contemporary scientific analytical methods. New licences were received to complete research on specially chosen samples of human and faunal material, aided by Dr Elizabeth O’Brien (Chair of the LIARI Project Committee and Principal Researcher for the INSTAR Mapping Death project). Specialist osteological analysis and reports were completed to facilitate applications for licences for 14 C dating and Sr and O isotope analysis on human remains from the ditch of Ráith na Ríg and on faunal material from the Rath of the Synods, the Hill of Tara,Co. Meath.

Networking and Collaborative Research Developments

Central to the success of the research for the LIARI project has been the collaborative nature of the research that has cut across the traditional disciplinary and subject boundaries. In April 2013, the LIARI team hosted the first multidisciplinary workshop for the creation of a new all-Ireland network, the Irish Isotopes Research Group (IIRG). Over 25 colleagues, from archaeology, geology, geochemistry, and the museum services participated in this event. There was a consensus from the participants on the day that such a network was essential for Irish archaeological research, to facilitate a forum for discussion and debate and to stimulate new collaborations at home and with colleagues in the UK and Europe. Following the success of the initial meeting, the team developed a new website for the group, collating information on each laboratory facility and analytical services available at laboratories around Ireland. It held two further meetings in 2013: an IIRG symposium hosted by the University of Bristol and a further meeting was hosted by 14Chrono at QUB. With help from The Discovery Programme design team, a new logo was created for the group and, along with the webpages, these have created a distinctive identity for the network under the aegis of the LIARI Project and The Discovery Programme.

Outreach

The LIARI team hosted an MA student placement for Alexandra Guglielmi (UCD) from May to July 2013. Alexandra completed a review and report on the Roman and imported material from Lagore Crannog, Co. Meath, for the LIARI team. Alexandra is now a PhD student at UCD and has been working with the team on the review of the Roman material from the Rath of the Synods in the UCD collection.

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2.1 The Late Iron Age and ‘Roman Ireland (LIARI)

In March 2013, following the presentation of a detailed research framework to the Acting CEO and the Project Committee, the Directorate agreed to extend the LIARI Project for a further two years. As the team were hopefulof an extension to the project, work had already been put in place to ensure a smooth transition from the preliminary18 month period to LIARI Phase 2.

Landscape Investigations and Geophysical Survey

Building on the successful results of previous geophysical surveys obtained by LIARI in the Drumanagh–Loughshinny region in north Co. Dublin, the project completed a second phase of field investigations in this landscape in early 2013. Focusing on the large coastal promontory fort at Drumanagh – a site long suspected of having been an important entrepôt or port-of-trade connecting eastern Ireland with Roman Britain – the surveys were aimed at elucidating the nature of several potential square/rectangular features mapped by LiDAR survey inside the fort and at broadening the investigation of its immediate hinterland. The results of this work, which revealed a rich diversity of buried archaeological remains, provide vivid testimony to the protracted history of activity on the promontory, with features suggestive of settlement and funerary/ritual activity, as well as post-medieval occupation and agriculture.

This year also marked the beginning of a new phase of LIARI fieldwork in the wider Meath/north Dublin region, involving large-scale geophysical surveys and landscape analysis. These investigations, which are on-going, build on a substantial body of research by The Discovery Programme and other scholars in the Tara landscape since the early 1990s. The work by LIARI is aimed at investigating the relationships between prominent hilltop sites that are believed, on the basis of archaeological, topographical and early documentary evidence, to have been important focal centres in the early centuries AD. These include the Hill of Lloyd, the site of a prehistoric enclosure overlooking the early monastic foundation at Kells, Co. Meath, and the nearby rise of Faughan Hill, whose strategic and symbolic importance is emphasized by its identification in early documentary sources as the burial place of Niall of the Nine Hostages and the site of a battle between his descendants and other rival claimants to the kingship of Tara in AD482. The large, internally-ditched enclosure on the summit of Knockbrack, Co. Dublin, and elevated terrain of Mallahow in its shadow, were also selected for study as part of the present investigations. The remarkable array of archaeological monuments and features revealed by this work to date clearly demonstrate that these sites are not

only worthy of study in their own right, but when considered from a landscape perspective, also have the potential to enhance our understanding of social organisation and identity in the wider Tara region in late prehistory.

LIARI Database (Archaeological Excavations)

Work continued this year on the collation of all available archaeological data relating to sites and features of known Iron Age date. This research has so far amassed information on over one thousand individual monuments and features from approximately 450 sites for which an absolute date between c. 400 BC and AD 600 is available. Of these dates, roughly half span the period from the fifth century BC to the first century AD and about 400 lie securely within the late Iron Age (first–fifth centuries AD). The array of evidence represented is extensive, ranging from enclosures and houses to ceremonial structures, funerary monuments and burials, as well as features associated with metalworking, agriculture, food production and other domestic and ritual activities. This information forms the basis for a critical reassessment of the Irish late Iron Age to be published as part of The Discovery Programme Report 8.

Roman and Imported Artefacts

Work continued throughout 2013 on the cataloguing of known Roman and imported material from the late Iron Age period in Ireland. The process included the updating of existing datasets on known objects, along with discussions on the most effective medium for dissemination of these once they have been reclassified. Members of the team worked with colleagues at the National Museum of Northern Ireland, University College Dublin and the National Museum of Ireland to review and photograph Romano-British objects in their collections. The review of the associated topographical files in the National Museum of Ireland began in earnest in the autumn. This research is on-going and will inform the agreed on-line output for all Roman and imported finds from Ireland.

Isotope Analysis on Human and Faunal Skeletal Material

Central to LIARI research is the investigation of mobility and migration using contemporary scientific analytical methods. New licences were received to complete research on specially chosen samples of human and faunal material, aided by Dr Elizabeth O’Brien (Chair of the LIARI Project Committee and Principal Researcher for the INSTAR Mapping Death project). Specialist osteological analysis and reports were completed to facilitate applications for licences for 14 C dating and Sr and O isotope analysis on human remains from the ditch of Ráith na Ríg and on faunal material from the Rath of the Synods, the Hill of Tara,Co. Meath.

Networking and Collaborative Research Developments

Central to the success of the research for the LIARI project has been the collaborative nature of the research that has cut across the traditional disciplinary and subject boundaries. In April 2013, the LIARI team hosted the first multidisciplinary workshop for the creation of a new all-Ireland network, the Irish Isotopes Research Group (IIRG). Over 25 colleagues, from archaeology, geology, geochemistry, and the museum services participated in this event. There was a consensus from the participants on the day that such a network was essential for Irish archaeological research, to facilitate a forum for discussion and debate and to stimulate new collaborations at home and with colleagues in the UK and Europe. Following the success of the initial meeting, the team developed a new website for the group, collating information on each laboratory facility and analytical services available at laboratories around Ireland. It held two further meetings in 2013: an IIRG symposium hosted by the University of Bristol and a further meeting was hosted by 14Chrono at QUB. With help from The Discovery Programme design team, a new logo was created for the group and, along with the webpages, these have created a distinctive identity for the network under the aegis of the LIARI Project and The Discovery Programme.

Outreach

The LIARI team hosted an MA student placement for Alexandra Guglielmi (UCD) from May to July 2013. Alexandra completed a review and report on the Roman and imported material from Lagore Crannog, Co. Meath, for the LIARI team. Alexandra is now a PhD student at UCD and has been working with the team on the review of the Roman material from the Rath of the Synods in the UCD collection.

Open day in Merrion Square as part of Heritage Week, August 2013

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10

Construction of Traces of the Past exhibition in the Dublin City Council Civic Officesin Woodquay, which ran in conjunction with a major ArcLand conference

2.2DISCOVERY PROGRAMMEPROJECTS

In addition to supporting The Discovery Programme’s research activities, during the course of 2013 the Survey and Technology Section of The Discovery Programme worked on a wide range of research projects and collaborative activities.

2.2 3D-ICONS

The digitisation phase of the 3D-ICONS project continued throughout 2013 with a number of major surveys undertaken. Terrestrial laser scan surveys using the Faro Focus 120 scanner were undertaken in particularly challenging and interesting environments. The complete structure of Dún Aonghasa stone fort was surveyed, with the assistance of a visiting professor from West Virginia University (Charles Yuill). We were kindly loaned an additional laser scanner from Korec Group in Dublin, and by operating the two instruments completed the survey in less than two days.

An expedition to Skellig Michael was the highlight of the year. The OPW arranged for access to the island and accommodation for two nights, thus enabling three days to survey. The focus of the survey was a high resolution survey of the monastery, including interiors of the structures, which was achieved despite challenging weather conditions.

In addition, progress was made on the large scale surveys at Clonmacnoise, Glendalough and the Walls of Derry, building on the excellent start made in 2012. Documentation of carved stone detail and artwork using an Artec EVA hand held object scanner began at Knowth, recording the megalithic art on the kerbstones. Additional detailed scanning also took place at Glendalough and Clonmacnoise recording cross slabs and high crosses.

Two project meetings were held – in Brussels in March and Marseilles in October. These meetings discussed project management and progress and focussed on the process pipeline for the data beyond digitisation, particularly in the modelling and dissemination phase.

The project is co-funded under the CIP ICT-PSP programme of the European Commission. Total project budget €5,300,000 (EU Contribution €2,650,000), The Discovery Programme budget € 382,580 (EU Contribution €191,290)

Website: www.3dicons-project.eu

2.2 ARIADNE

2013 saw the launch of a major European Project: ARIADNE (Advanced Research Infrastructure for Archaeological Dataset Networking in Europe). This project aims to bring together and integrate existing archaeological research data infrastructures so that researchers can use the various distributed datasets and new and powerful technologies as

Technology

an integral component of the archaeological research methodology. There are already a large number of archaeological digital datasets available that altogether span different periods, domains and regions, and more are continuously being created as a result of the increasing use of IT. These are the accumulated outcomes of the research of individuals, teams and institutions, but they form a vast and fragmented corpus with their potential constrained by difficult access and non-homogenous perspectives.

This integrating activity will enable trans-national access for researchers to data centres, tools and guidance, and the creation of new web-based services. These will be based on common interfaces to data repositories, the availability of reference datasets and utilize innovative technologies. The project aims to stimulate new research avenues in the field of archaeology that rely on the comparison, re-use and integration of the outcomes ofpast and on-going field and laboratory activity intocurrent research.

Such data is scattered amongst diverse collections, datasets, inaccessible and unpublished fieldwork reports (“grey literature”), and in publications, the latter still being the main source of knowledge sharing. The project aims to support the creation of a new community of researchers ready to exploit the contribution of Information Technology and to incorporate it into the body of established archaeological research methodology.

The Discovery Programme is one of twenty-five different research centres contributing data, technology and expertize to this project. Over the course of the next four years The Discovery Programme aims to utilize the project to assess the archaeological data sets within Ireland and their potential for integration into a robust infrastructure which can be adopted by the wider archaeological community. The ARIADNE project also offers the opportunity within Ireland to formulate a long-term strategy for the archiving, management, standardisation and reuse of digital data within the archaeological and cultural heritage domains.

ARIADNE is funded by the European Commission under the Community’s Seventh Framework Programme. The project started on 1 February 2013 and runs for 48 months. Total project budget €8,567,000 (EU Contribution €6,500,000), The Discovery Programme budget € 262,240 (EU Contribution €185,357)

Website: www.ariadne-infrastructure.eu

2.2 LOCLOUD

LoCloud (Local Content in a Europeana Cloud) is a best practice network which began in March 2013, and will run for three years. It is coordinated by the Norsk Kulturrad and is made up of 32 partners across 26 European countries. The project aims to enrich the Europeana content (www.europeana.eu) by adding over 4 million digitizeditems from European cultural institutions.

LoCloud follows directly on from the CARARE project and EuropeanaLocal, another recently completed best practice network project, funded under the e-Contentplus programme. It played an important role in ensuring the digital content provided by Europeana's local and regional cultural institutions were represented in Europeana.

LoCloud will support small and medium-sized institutions in making their content and metadata available to Europeana, by exploring the potential of cloud computing technologies. A cloud-based technology infrastructure will enable the aggregation of local content and a number of micro-services will help to reduce technical, semantic and skills barriers and to render the content more discoverable and interoperable.The Discovery Programme’s has a role in most of the project work packages and will work with various cultural heritage institutions in Ireland to make their content available online through Europeana.

The Discovery Programme aims to make several digital collections available online with associated rich metadata, including: RSAI lantern slide and Du Noyer collections, Leo Swan’s aerial photographs, content from the Ogham in 3D project and a range of additional archaeological material. The project is co-funded under the CIP ICT-PSP programme of the European Commission. Total project budget €4,250,000 (EU Contribution €3,400,000), The Discovery Programme budget € 115,500 (EU Contribution €92,400)

Website: locloud.eu

2.2 ArchaeoLandscapes

2013 saw the third full year of the ArchaeoLandscapes (ArcLand) Project. Activity during this period included:

Traces of the Past exhibition:

Launched initially at Dublin Civic Offices by Minister Jimmy Deenhan T.D., the exhibition represents the culmination of the collaborative activities of 55 prestigious institutions from 26 European countries. This exhibition aims to ‘Promote the Experts’ by highlighting ground breaking research into the application of science and technology to the field of cultural heritage and archaeology.

The guiding path through the exhibition is the evolution of the technology from the earliest photography to the latest unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) systems. Techniques and concepts are explained and illustrated using case studies and examples selected from the ArchaeoLandscapes partners, ensuring that a diverse range of spectacular European archaeology and cultural heritage is on display.

The exhibition includes case studies from Ireland, comprising some of the most prestigious and iconic sites in the country: the passage tombs of Brú na Bóinne, the monastic settlement of Skellig Michael, and the royal site at Hill of Tara. With the assistance of Dublin City Council, the exhibition used billboards and additional advertising space around the city to promote the exhibition. Following its presentation in Dublin, the Traces of the Past Exhibition moved to the Irish Workhouse Centre in Portumna, Co. Galway and will continue to travel the country during 2014.

Full details of the exhibition can be found at tracesofthepastexhibition.wordpress.com

2.2 ArcLand International Conference – K2U2

To coincide with the launch of the Traces of the Past exhibition, The Discovery Programme, in conjunction with the School of Archaeology, UCD, organized an Arcland conference, “From Known Knowns to Unknown Unknowns: Remotely detecting the past.” K2U2 was hosted in the Wood Quay venue by Dublin City Council.

Speakers from all over Europe attended the conference, which was opened by the Lord Mayor of Dublin, NaoiseÓ Muirí. ArcLand partners from Denmark, Poland, Germany and the UK shared their work on aerial photography, LiDAR imagery and the future of technology in archaeology.

One of the best received speakers was secondary school teacher, Teresa Walsh (Transition Year Co-ordinator) from Balla, Co. Mayo. She shared her school’s Transition Year project, which had been initiated by Kevin Barton of LGS Ltd. with the support of Arcland. She was joined on the podium by two of her students, Tara Gibbons andAnnelise Garrison.

In addition to the main conference a community activity day was organized. The event: titled Arc in the Park was a free archaeological workshop designed to give members of the public an experience of remote sensing technologies at a well known public landmark, the Phoenix Park. Activities included geophysic survey techniques (magnetic gradiom-etry and earth resistance, aerial kite photography and field walking exercizes utilising LiDAR data). The event was organized by The Discovery Programme, Arcland, UCD School of Archaeology, Dublin City Council, West Lothian Archaeological Trust and Kevin Barton of LGS.

2.2 LiDAR Training School

The Discovery Programme provided teaching support at the ArcLand workshop and training school "LiDAR - innovative technology for archaeology". This was hosted by the Adam Mickiewicz University Poznan, Poland and took place from 24-28 June 2013. The workshop gave students an understanding of practical methods for data capture, processing algorithms and formal analysis of the results, as well as how LiDAR data could be used to develop appropriate archaeological inferences.

The students were taught by using a combination of lectures and practical sessions including knowledge of the theory, method, equipment and software associated with LiDAR technology and it allowed them to develop key skills frequently expected in landscape studies. The workshop was attended by 15 students, mostly from Poland as well as from Romania, Montenegro and the Czech Republic.ArchaeoLandscapes is funded by the European Union within the framework of the Culture 2007-2013 framework. Total project budget €5,000,000(EU Contribution €2,500,000), The Discovery Programme budget € 350,000 (EU Contribution €150,000)

Website: www.arcland.eu

2.2 Additional Activities

During 2013 a number of additional activities and collaborations were carried out by the TechnologySection, including:

Ogham in 3D

Further surveys were undertaken and high definition 3D models generated of Ogham stones this is a collaborative project with the Dublin Institute of Advanced Studies. A number of field survey weeks were spent in Kerry, the highlight being an expedition to record the Ogham inscribed stone on Mount Brandon, Co. Kerry.

Turoe Stone, OPW

A high resolution 3D surface model was generated of the Turoe Stone for the OPW prior to the stone being temporarily relocated for conservation work.

St Nicholas, Newtown Jerpoint

St Nicholas church and the tomb of St Nicholas at Newton Jerpoint were surveyed and modelled in 3D. This work was undertaken in advance of planned conservation work.

Assistance was given to the Department of Archaeology, NUI Galway to layout grids and survey station markers for a geophysical survey at the island monastery site of Cleenish, Co. Fermanagh.

The Discovery Programme was invited to participate in a COST action, TD1201, Colour and Space in Cultural Heritage (COSCH). Robert Shaw joined the management committee and attended meetings in Mainz and London.

Further information on activities of this action can found at http://cosch.info/home

Projects

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In addition to supporting The Discovery Programme’s research activities, during the course of 2013 the Survey and Technology Section of The Discovery Programme worked on a wide range of research projects and collaborative activities.

2.2 3D-ICONS

The digitisation phase of the 3D-ICONS project continued throughout 2013 with a number of major surveys undertaken. Terrestrial laser scan surveys using the Faro Focus 120 scanner were undertaken in particularly challenging and interesting environments. The complete structure of Dún Aonghasa stone fort was surveyed, with the assistance of a visiting professor from West Virginia University (Charles Yuill). We were kindly loaned an additional laser scanner from Korec Group in Dublin, and by operating the two instruments completed the survey in less than two days.

An expedition to Skellig Michael was the highlight of the year. The OPW arranged for access to the island and accommodation for two nights, thus enabling three days to survey. The focus of the survey was a high resolution survey of the monastery, including interiors of the structures, which was achieved despite challenging weather conditions.

In addition, progress was made on the large scale surveys at Clonmacnoise, Glendalough and the Walls of Derry, building on the excellent start made in 2012. Documentation of carved stone detail and artwork using an Artec EVA hand held object scanner began at Knowth, recording the megalithic art on the kerbstones. Additional detailed scanning also took place at Glendalough and Clonmacnoise recording cross slabs and high crosses.

Two project meetings were held – in Brussels in March and Marseilles in October. These meetings discussed project management and progress and focussed on the process pipeline for the data beyond digitisation, particularly in the modelling and dissemination phase.

The project is co-funded under the CIP ICT-PSP programme of the European Commission. Total project budget €5,300,000 (EU Contribution €2,650,000), The Discovery Programme budget € 382,580 (EU Contribution €191,290)

Website: www.3dicons-project.eu

2.2 ARIADNE

2013 saw the launch of a major European Project: ARIADNE (Advanced Research Infrastructure for Archaeological Dataset Networking in Europe). This project aims to bring together and integrate existing archaeological research data infrastructures so that researchers can use the various distributed datasets and new and powerful technologies as

an integral component of the archaeological research methodology. There are already a large number of archaeological digital datasets available that altogether span different periods, domains and regions, and more are continuously being created as a result of the increasing use of IT. These are the accumulated outcomes of the research of individuals, teams and institutions, but they form a vast and fragmented corpus with their potential constrained by difficult access and non-homogenous perspectives.

This integrating activity will enable trans-national access for researchers to data centres, tools and guidance, and the creation of new web-based services. These will be based on common interfaces to data repositories, the availability of reference datasets and utilize innovative technologies. The project aims to stimulate new research avenues in the field of archaeology that rely on the comparison, re-use and integration of the outcomes ofpast and on-going field and laboratory activity intocurrent research.

Such data is scattered amongst diverse collections, datasets, inaccessible and unpublished fieldwork reports (“grey literature”), and in publications, the latter still being the main source of knowledge sharing. The project aims to support the creation of a new community of researchers ready to exploit the contribution of Information Technology and to incorporate it into the body of established archaeological research methodology.

The Discovery Programme is one of twenty-five different research centres contributing data, technology and expertize to this project. Over the course of the next four years The Discovery Programme aims to utilize the project to assess the archaeological data sets within Ireland and their potential for integration into a robust infrastructure which can be adopted by the wider archaeological community. The ARIADNE project also offers the opportunity within Ireland to formulate a long-term strategy for the archiving, management, standardisation and reuse of digital data within the archaeological and cultural heritage domains.

ARIADNE is funded by the European Commission under the Community’s Seventh Framework Programme. The project started on 1 February 2013 and runs for 48 months. Total project budget €8,567,000 (EU Contribution €6,500,000), The Discovery Programme budget € 262,240 (EU Contribution €185,357)

Website: www.ariadne-infrastructure.eu

2.2 LOCLOUD

LoCloud (Local Content in a Europeana Cloud) is a best practice network which began in March 2013, and will run for three years. It is coordinated by the Norsk Kulturrad and is made up of 32 partners across 26 European countries. The project aims to enrich the Europeana content (www.europeana.eu) by adding over 4 million digitizeditems from European cultural institutions.

LoCloud follows directly on from the CARARE project and EuropeanaLocal, another recently completed best practice network project, funded under the e-Contentplus programme. It played an important role in ensuring the digital content provided by Europeana's local and regional cultural institutions were represented in Europeana.

LoCloud will support small and medium-sized institutions in making their content and metadata available to Europeana, by exploring the potential of cloud computing technologies. A cloud-based technology infrastructure will enable the aggregation of local content and a number of micro-services will help to reduce technical, semantic and skills barriers and to render the content more discoverable and interoperable.The Discovery Programme’s has a role in most of the project work packages and will work with various cultural heritage institutions in Ireland to make their content available online through Europeana.

The Discovery Programme aims to make several digital collections available online with associated rich metadata, including: RSAI lantern slide and Du Noyer collections, Leo Swan’s aerial photographs, content from the Ogham in 3D project and a range of additional archaeological material. The project is co-funded under the CIP ICT-PSP programme of the European Commission. Total project budget €4,250,000 (EU Contribution €3,400,000), The Discovery Programme budget € 115,500 (EU Contribution €92,400)

Website: locloud.eu

2.2 ArchaeoLandscapes

2013 saw the third full year of the ArchaeoLandscapes (ArcLand) Project. Activity during this period included:

Traces of the Past exhibition:

Launched initially at Dublin Civic Offices by Minister Jimmy Deenhan T.D., the exhibition represents the culmination of the collaborative activities of 55 prestigious institutions from 26 European countries. This exhibition aims to ‘Promote the Experts’ by highlighting ground breaking research into the application of science and technology to the field of cultural heritage and archaeology.

The guiding path through the exhibition is the evolution of the technology from the earliest photography to the latest unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) systems. Techniques and concepts are explained and illustrated using case studies and examples selected from the ArchaeoLandscapes partners, ensuring that a diverse range of spectacular European archaeology and cultural heritage is on display.

The exhibition includes case studies from Ireland, comprising some of the most prestigious and iconic sites in the country: the passage tombs of Brú na Bóinne, the monastic settlement of Skellig Michael, and the royal site at Hill of Tara. With the assistance of Dublin City Council, the exhibition used billboards and additional advertising space around the city to promote the exhibition. Following its presentation in Dublin, the Traces of the Past Exhibition moved to the Irish Workhouse Centre in Portumna, Co. Galway and will continue to travel the country during 2014.

Full details of the exhibition can be found at tracesofthepastexhibition.wordpress.com

2.2 ArcLand International Conference – K2U2

To coincide with the launch of the Traces of the Past exhibition, The Discovery Programme, in conjunction with the School of Archaeology, UCD, organized an Arcland conference, “From Known Knowns to Unknown Unknowns: Remotely detecting the past.” K2U2 was hosted in the Wood Quay venue by Dublin City Council.

Speakers from all over Europe attended the conference, which was opened by the Lord Mayor of Dublin, NaoiseÓ Muirí. ArcLand partners from Denmark, Poland, Germany and the UK shared their work on aerial photography, LiDAR imagery and the future of technology in archaeology.

One of the best received speakers was secondary school teacher, Teresa Walsh (Transition Year Co-ordinator) from Balla, Co. Mayo. She shared her school’s Transition Year project, which had been initiated by Kevin Barton of LGS Ltd. with the support of Arcland. She was joined on the podium by two of her students, Tara Gibbons andAnnelise Garrison.

In addition to the main conference a community activity day was organized. The event: titled Arc in the Park was a free archaeological workshop designed to give members of the public an experience of remote sensing technologies at a well known public landmark, the Phoenix Park. Activities included geophysic survey techniques (magnetic gradiom-etry and earth resistance, aerial kite photography and field walking exercizes utilising LiDAR data). The event was organized by The Discovery Programme, Arcland, UCD School of Archaeology, Dublin City Council, West Lothian Archaeological Trust and Kevin Barton of LGS.

2.2 LiDAR Training School

The Discovery Programme provided teaching support at the ArcLand workshop and training school "LiDAR - innovative technology for archaeology". This was hosted by the Adam Mickiewicz University Poznan, Poland and took place from 24-28 June 2013. The workshop gave students an understanding of practical methods for data capture, processing algorithms and formal analysis of the results, as well as how LiDAR data could be used to develop appropriate archaeological inferences.

The students were taught by using a combination of lectures and practical sessions including knowledge of the theory, method, equipment and software associated with LiDAR technology and it allowed them to develop key skills frequently expected in landscape studies. The workshop was attended by 15 students, mostly from Poland as well as from Romania, Montenegro and the Czech Republic.ArchaeoLandscapes is funded by the European Union within the framework of the Culture 2007-2013 framework. Total project budget €5,000,000(EU Contribution €2,500,000), The Discovery Programme budget € 350,000 (EU Contribution €150,000)

Website: www.arcland.eu

2.2 Additional Activities

During 2013 a number of additional activities and collaborations were carried out by the TechnologySection, including:

Ogham in 3D

Further surveys were undertaken and high definition 3D models generated of Ogham stones this is a collaborative project with the Dublin Institute of Advanced Studies. A number of field survey weeks were spent in Kerry, the highlight being an expedition to record the Ogham inscribed stone on Mount Brandon, Co. Kerry.

Turoe Stone, OPW

A high resolution 3D surface model was generated of the Turoe Stone for the OPW prior to the stone being temporarily relocated for conservation work.

St Nicholas, Newtown Jerpoint

St Nicholas church and the tomb of St Nicholas at Newton Jerpoint were surveyed and modelled in 3D. This work was undertaken in advance of planned conservation work.

Assistance was given to the Department of Archaeology, NUI Galway to layout grids and survey station markers for a geophysical survey at the island monastery site of Cleenish, Co. Fermanagh.

The Discovery Programme was invited to participate in a COST action, TD1201, Colour and Space in Cultural Heritage (COSCH). Robert Shaw joined the management committee and attended meetings in Mainz and London.

Further information on activities of this action can found at http://cosch.info/home

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Environmental Projects

2.3DISCOVERY PROGRAMMEPROJECTS

2.3 Environmental Projects

• Dr Ingelise Stuijts

Since 2002, environmental research within archaeology had been integrated into The Discovery Programme. It formed an integral part of two major projects that are coming to conclusion: the Lake Settlement Project and the Medieval Rural Settlement Project. In the current LIARI project, environmental research is one of the components used, though on a limited basis. Within The Discovery Programme, the environmental research adds to the multidisciplinary strength of the organisation. The major activity in 2013 was pollen counting mainly for the Medieval Rural Settlement module undertaken in Carns, Co. Roscommon, and extracting a core from Lough Lugh at Uisneach, Co. Westmeath for the LIARI project. Both pollen cores have challenges for producing a good result, in that the Holocene – the period of interest from a human perspective – is represented by a short section only. Moreover, the core in Carns contains very little pollen and may have been a shallow lake for much of its existence during this period. In Lough Lugh the pollen indicates a Late Glacial origin for the lake but there is no deposit between the Early Holocene and what is most likely Medieval or even Late Medieval deposit. The reason for this lacuna - be it man-made or natural - is currently being investigated.The results from both cores will be finalized in 2014.

Following contacts in 2011 with Dr Jane Bunting from the University of York, who with her colleagues are pioneering research into landscape modelling based on pollen research (the ‘Crackles’ project), the aim of the pollen counting will hopefully lead to a similar modelling profile for Ireland. In August 2013, Dr Stuijts attended a very comprehensive, week-long workshop, conference and fieldtrip in Hull, UK focused on many aspects of landscape modelling. Thiswas a very successful course and was attended bypeople from all over the world, eager to learn about the‘Crackles’ project.

After the conference, a proposal was made to undertake an Irish component of the ‘Crackles’ project with Professor Fraser Mitchell, Dr Bettina Stefanini and Dr Jane Bunting. This proposal would include fieldwork to collect basic Irish data to allow such a reconstruction. Though the proposal was not successful in 2013, the aim is to apply for a project to commence during the summer period 2015.

The professional environmentalists of Ireland meet intermittently: in 2013 the Irish Archaeobotanical Discussion Group (IADG) met regularly to discuss issues such as a retention policy for the National Museum of Ireland (NMI). In April 2013 a meeting between the NMI, Botanic Gardens and the IADG took place to discuss possibilities for storing ecofacts (especially waterlogged plant remains). The first meeting opened up certain possibilities but more work needs to be done to convert these ideas into reality. Proposals for documenting identification information to accompany ecofacts were presented jointly with Dr Andy Halpin (NMI) to the archaeological profession at an Institute of Archaeologists of Ireland conference in Dublin in April.

‘WODAN’ is the initiative to develop an integrated online wood and charcoal database, hosting both archaeological and biological information. The project also aims to standardize methodologies. The online sharing of information is one of its aims, as well as assisting scientific research. There were no further initiatives during 2013, though the project formed part of presentations at various occasions, including the Conference of Irish Geographers held in Galway in May 2013.

As usual, some meetings and conferences were attended in 2013, and lectures given, though on a lesser scale than in former years. The organization of two conferences with Professor Liam Downey required focused attention.

The first conference in June was inspired by A.T. Lucas’s work on Irish food products and aimed to review his ideasas stated in his publication of 1960-62 (‘Irish food beforethe potato’, Gwerin 3, 8-43). The introductory lecturewas presented by Liam Downey and Ingelise Stuijts and summarized the statements of A.T. Lucas. The conference was jointly organized by the Agricultural History Society of Ireland and the Irish Environmental History Network.

The second conference in November was based on the work of Dr A.T. Went on fisheries in Ireland. The overall theme was ‘Irish fisheries, food products and exports: a historical perspective’. A lecture was also given by Liam Downey and Ingelise Stuijts at this conference along with a number of other scholars who talked about fisheries from the Mesolithic to modern times. The conference was organized by The Discovery Programme, the Agricultural History Society of Ireland and the Irish EnvironmentalHistory Network.

Robeard de Paor taking additional samples from Derragh

15 16

2.3 Environmental Projects

• Dr Ingelise Stuijts

Since 2002, environmental research within archaeology had been integrated into The Discovery Programme. It formed an integral part of two major projects that are coming to conclusion: the Lake Settlement Project and the Medieval Rural Settlement Project. In the current LIARI project, environmental research is one of the components used, though on a limited basis. Within The Discovery Programme, the environmental research adds to the multidisciplinary strength of the organisation. The major activity in 2013 was pollen counting mainly for the Medieval Rural Settlement module undertaken in Carns, Co. Roscommon, and extracting a core from Lough Lugh at Uisneach, Co. Westmeath for the LIARI project. Both pollen cores have challenges for producing a good result, in that the Holocene – the period of interest from a human perspective – is represented by a short section only. Moreover, the core in Carns contains very little pollen and may have been a shallow lake for much of its existence during this period. In Lough Lugh the pollen indicates a Late Glacial origin for the lake but there is no deposit between the Early Holocene and what is most likely Medieval or even Late Medieval deposit. The reason for this lacuna - be it man-made or natural - is currently being investigated.The results from both cores will be finalized in 2014.

Following contacts in 2011 with Dr Jane Bunting from the University of York, who with her colleagues are pioneering research into landscape modelling based on pollen research (the ‘Crackles’ project), the aim of the pollen counting will hopefully lead to a similar modelling profile for Ireland. In August 2013, Dr Stuijts attended a very comprehensive, week-long workshop, conference and fieldtrip in Hull, UK focused on many aspects of landscape modelling. Thiswas a very successful course and was attended bypeople from all over the world, eager to learn about the‘Crackles’ project.

After the conference, a proposal was made to undertake an Irish component of the ‘Crackles’ project with Professor Fraser Mitchell, Dr Bettina Stefanini and Dr Jane Bunting. This proposal would include fieldwork to collect basic Irish data to allow such a reconstruction. Though the proposal was not successful in 2013, the aim is to apply for a project to commence during the summer period 2015.

The professional environmentalists of Ireland meet intermittently: in 2013 the Irish Archaeobotanical Discussion Group (IADG) met regularly to discuss issues such as a retention policy for the National Museum of Ireland (NMI). In April 2013 a meeting between the NMI, Botanic Gardens and the IADG took place to discuss possibilities for storing ecofacts (especially waterlogged plant remains). The first meeting opened up certain possibilities but more work needs to be done to convert these ideas into reality. Proposals for documenting identification information to accompany ecofacts were presented jointly with Dr Andy Halpin (NMI) to the archaeological profession at an Institute of Archaeologists of Ireland conference in Dublin in April.

‘WODAN’ is the initiative to develop an integrated online wood and charcoal database, hosting both archaeological and biological information. The project also aims to standardize methodologies. The online sharing of information is one of its aims, as well as assisting scientific research. There were no further initiatives during 2013, though the project formed part of presentations at various occasions, including the Conference of Irish Geographers held in Galway in May 2013.

As usual, some meetings and conferences were attended in 2013, and lectures given, though on a lesser scale than in former years. The organization of two conferences with Professor Liam Downey required focused attention.

The first conference in June was inspired by A.T. Lucas’s work on Irish food products and aimed to review his ideasas stated in his publication of 1960-62 (‘Irish food beforethe potato’, Gwerin 3, 8-43). The introductory lecturewas presented by Liam Downey and Ingelise Stuijts and summarized the statements of A.T. Lucas. The conference was jointly organized by the Agricultural History Society of Ireland and the Irish Environmental History Network.

The second conference in November was based on the work of Dr A.T. Went on fisheries in Ireland. The overall theme was ‘Irish fisheries, food products and exports: a historical perspective’. A lecture was also given by Liam Downey and Ingelise Stuijts at this conference along with a number of other scholars who talked about fisheries from the Mesolithic to modern times. The conference was organized by The Discovery Programme, the Agricultural History Society of Ireland and the Irish EnvironmentalHistory Network.

Michelle Farrell, Hull, explaining the ‘Crackles’ fieldwork procedures

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15th century panels from the MacMahon-Creagh tomb,Ennis OFM Friary, Co. Clare

2.4DISCOVERY PROGRAMMEPROJECTS

2.4 Monastic Ireland: Landscape and Settlement (Phase 1)

The development of the monastic orders in Ireland and their contribution to artistic, architectural, social, economic and religious development is a shared European history. Comparatively, the Irish landscape retains particularly rich monastic remains and much is known about their patrons and the monks, canons, friars and nuns who inhabited them. Yet this essential narrative of material remains and documentary sources has yet to be assembled in an accessible and modern format informed by large-scale international projects (e.g. ‘Mapping Gothic France’: www.mapping gothic.org; ‘Monasterium’: www.monasterium.net).

The Monastic Ireland project was initiated in 2010 following the template of Monastic Wales developed by Professor Janet Burton and Dr Karen Stöber through the University of Trinity St Davids at Lampeter (Wales). Since 2010 the project has been supported by the Department of Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht, Fáilte Ireland, University College Dublin and has been undertaken by Dr Edel Bhreathnach and Dr Niamh NicGhabhann. The project transferred from UCD to The Discovery Programme in summer 2013 and Dr NicGhabhann (who took up a post at the Irish World Academy of Music and Dance, University of Limerick) was replaced by Dr Keith Smith. The main aim is to provide up to date information and images to the wider public about the medieval monasteries and friaries that are found throughout Ireland and that have left such an imprint on the Irish landscape.

Much has been accomplished since 2011. Information relating to 276 sites throughout Ireland has been entered into a research database. An image bank has been assembled including photographs and antiquarian images. The project was presented at a number of conferences including at the Leeds International Medieval Congress in 2012 and a conference on medieval monasticism held in the University of Stirling in July 2013. As a result the Monastic Ireland project is now part of a pan-European medieval monastic project and has inspired the possible extension of the project to Scotland. Phase 1 of the project combines three portals:

1) ‘Explore’ -- A section focused on individual sites , which provides user-friendly architectural and historical information including galleries of images and plans of the sites and associated artefacts housed in museums and galleries.

2) ‘Research’ – A section aimed at the academic community with a comprehensive listing of sources and where available, links to information from medieval and early modern sources, a database of images, and where applicable information on previous archaeological work atspecific sites.

Monastic Ireland: AD 1100-1700 settlement (Phase 1)

3) ‘Participate’ – A crowd sourcing site that will facilitate resources for users including schools, local history groups and cultural tourism users.

Phase 2 of Monastic Ireland received funding in October 2013 from the Irish Research Council. Dr Rachel Moss,TCD Department of the History of Art and Architecturewill be the Principal Investigator and Dr Edel Bhreathnach, The Discovery Programme and Dr Malgorzata Krasnodebska-D’Aughton, UCC School of History willbe the Co-Investigators. Of particular interest in thisphase is the place of Irish monastic houses in the landscape, especially their role in the development ofurban centres and in rural settlement patterns.The project will seek to answer the following questions:

• To what degree did the transformation of the pre-Norman Irish monastic structure, and in particular its infiltration by the Augustinian canons, impact on the existing monastic structures? Were aspects of early Irish monasticism closer to British or Continental models than hitherto always acknowledged? • The establishment of mendicant houses formed an intrinsic development in new towns established as part of the Anglo-Norman settlement of Ireland. To what degree did they influence urban morphology and can these patterns be traced elsewhere?

• The Acts of Suppression during the late 1530s freed up significant urban land banks. How did this impact on towns and cities in Ireland? In what way were sites and buildings preserved or re-used and how does this compare with Britain and the Low Countries?

• Some pre- twelfth-century ecclesiastical settlements in rural areas became home to monks and canons of the continental orders, while others continued in parish use or simply petered out. What were the factors that influenced these changes? • Ireland is unique for the large number of mendicant houses of both first and third orders established in rural locations from the late fourteenth to the mid-sixteenth centuries. What were the factors that drove this expansion and how were similar factors accounted for in other areas of Europe or is Ireland unique?

These questions will form the core modules of the Monastic Ireland (Phase 2) project.

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15

Leo Swan aerial photograph: Excavations of prehistoric settlementat Béal Deirg Beag, Co. Mayo 21

2.5DISCOVERY PROGRAMMEPROJECTS

22

2.5 Online Inventory of Leo Swan’s Aerial Photographs

The project, which was initially funded by the Heritage Council in 2011 continued into 2012 funded by a grant from the Department of Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht.The Project Director, Katherine Daly, continued her workon the project , on a pro bono basis, in 2013. During this period work was undertaken on the:

• Removal of film from original to conservation grade storage. • Reconstruction of original sets of black /whitenegative film.

• Identification of archaeological sites andgeographic locations.

• Scanning aerial images.

Reconstructing Sets of FilmReconstruction of original sets of film (which had been cut and dispersed into different storage folders in the archive) continued during this period. During the course of this work it became clear that an unknown quantity of film was missing from the archive.

ScanningAn application was made by The Discovery Programmeto the JobBridge programme for an intern to work asan Assistant Digital Archivist. The work to be carriedout included:

• Image processing (including scanning)• Digital archiving• Geo-rectification of aerial images. Louise Kennedy commenced work in October 2013 and by the end of 2013 had scanned a total 1446 black /white negative images. In addition to this work, her trainingand experience in archiving contributed immensely tothe project.

Traces of the PastSeveral images from the Leo Swan’s archive were included in the ArcLand exhibition Traces of the Past, in the section illustrating the value of aerial archives.

Next PhaseIn addition to completing the work described above, all the colour transparencies including over 500 colour slides will be processed. This will involve the reconstruction of original sets.

Louise Kennedy (intern) will continue to scan the remaining photographic film.

Online Inventory Of Leo Swan’s Aerial Photographs

Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht Jimmy Deenihan T.D.,launching the Western Stone Forts Volumes 1 & 2 in April 2013

2.6NEW PROJECTS

2.6 Launch of the Western Stone Forts Project: Excavations at Dún Aonghasa and Dún Eoghanachta Volumes 1 and 2

One of the national icons of the Irish landscape is Dún Aonghasa on Inis Mór, the largest of the Aran Islands. It has attracted attention from historians as far back as the eleventh century AD and through to the great nineteenth-century antiquarians John O’Donovan and George Petrie, who, with many leading scholars of the time, visited the site in 1857. Twentieth-century archaeologists speculated consistently about its date, its connection to the hundreds of stone forts in the western regions of Ireland, its similarity or otherwise to other Irish hillforts. They also proposed many theories as to its link to apparently similar large stone forts on the Iberian Peninsula. As part of the first suite of The Discovery Programme’s projects, it was decided to study the monuments commonly known as ‘stone forts’ which were dotted throughout the landscapes of Counties Kerry, Clare, Galway, Mayo and Donegal. The task was given to Claire Cotter, a graduate of University College Cork and an experienced archaeologist, who had excavated in many places along the western seaboard, including Scellig Michael, Co. Kerry, and had been part of the Donegal Archaeological Survey and the Archaeological Survey of Corca Dhuibhne, Co. Kerry. Claire’s task was monumental in that she was given the brief to:

• Excavate Dún Aonghasa

• Study the morphology, landscape and chronology of the forts of the Aran Islands

• Study comparative monuments along the west coast of Ireland (e.g. Staigue Fort, Co. Kerry, Grianán Ailech, Co. Donegal)

• Produce a comparative study of apparently similar monuments along the western Atlantic seaboard (Scotland, Wales, southern England, Brittany and north-western Iberia)

The two volumes launched on 17 April by Mr Jimmy Deenihan T.D., Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht detail four seasons of excavation at Dún Aonghasa and at another fort, Dún Eoghanachta, located in the hinterland of the more renowned fort. The results of this research are considerable and the following points only touch on the highlights covered in these volumes:

Launch of the Western Stone Forts Project

Dún Aonghasa• Was built as a defensive trivallate fort (with three stone enclosures) in the Late Bronze Age with activity at the site particularly evident from 1000-800BC

• Was inhabited during this period and was the centre of small-scale metal-working and location of the deposition of a hoard of four buffered bronze rings

• Periodic activity continued at the fort through the Iron Age with evidence of burials there

• In the eighth and ninth centuries AD a major refurbishment of the fort was undertaken which gave the monument its present appearance of an elevated citadel.

Dún EoghanachtaA small-scale excavation at Dún Eoghanachta seemed to corroborate the medieval activity at Dún Aonghasa and to suggest that it too was built during the same period as the refurbishment of the greater fort.

Dún Eoghanachta• Is one of the best built forts in the country • Was built as an aristocratic residence probably during the ninth century AD

• Continued to be lived in down into medieval and possibly post-medieval times

• Represents the ultimate development of the monument type known as a cashel - in essence a stone ringfort. In the west of Ireland cashels make up about 20% of ringforts. Some 2,500 cashels are recorded for the seven western counties alone but few match Dún Eoghanachta.

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Meeting Dates

Audit Committee:9th April / 28th May / 10th September / 19th May / 25th November 2013

Directorate:7th January / 19th February / 27th February / 9th April /28th May / 25th June / 10th September / 15th October /25th November / 17th December 2013

AGM:18th June 2013

DISCOVERY PROGRAMME DIRECTORATE

DISCOVERY PROGRAMME COUNCIL

The Directorate

Professor Terence Barry Department of Medieval History, TCDMr Cormac Bourke Ulster Journal of Archaeology (editor)Mr Ian Doyle Heritage CouncilMr Conleth Manning National Monuments Service, Department of Arts, Heritage & the GaeltachtDr Rachel Moss Department of Art History & Architecture, TCDDr Elizabeth O’Brien Royal Society of Antiquaries of IrelandDr Tomás Ó Carragáin Department of Archaeology, UCCDr Stuart Jeffrey Glasgow School of ArtDr Graeme Warren School of Archaeology, UCD

Affiliation

Professor Terence Barry (Chair) Department of Medieval History, TCDMs Teresa Bolger Institute of Archaeologists of IrelandDr Michelle Comber School of Archaeology, NUIGDr Ann Lynch National Monuments Service, DAHGDr Eileen Murphy Queens University BelfastDr Máirín Ní Cheallaigh Royal Society of Antiquaries of IrelandMr Raghnall Ó Floinn National Museum of Ireland/ Royal Irish Academy (resigned June 2013)Dr John O’Keeffe Northern Ireland Environmental AgencyDr Greer Ramsey National Museums of Northern IrelandDr Colin Rynne Department of Archaeology, UCCDr Robert Sands School of Archaeology, UCDMr Robert Shaw The Discovery Programme Staff Representative

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3.DISCOVERY PROGRAMME PERSONNEL AND MEETINGS

26

Survey work being carried out at Church of St. Nicholas,Jerpoint Park, Kilkenny, Ireland

Recording the Turoe Stone using thenextengine laser scanner

LIARI Project Outreach 2013

Presentations/Lectures:

January ‘Pushing Boundaries: Ireland’s relationship with Rome’, The Society of Antiquaries London

February ‘The Late Iron Age and ‘Roman’ Ireland Project’, Athlone Archaeological and Historical Society

March ‘Fluid frontiers: Ireland and the Roman world in the 1st –5th centuries AD’, Westport Civic Trust, Co. Mayo.

April ‘The Romans in Ireland’, Open Public Lecture, National Museum of Ireland

May ‘Romans in a ‘Celtic” Iron Age’, University of Southampton

October ‘Ireland in the early centuries AD’, NUI Galway.

November ‘The Late Iron Age and ‘Roman’ Ireland Project’, University College Dublin

Other Lectures

April ’Archaeological investigations at Ráith Airthir', Teltown, Kells Heritage Trust, Co. Meath.

May ‘The importance of human remains in archaeology’, Outreach: CBS Enniscorthy, Co.Wexford

Publications

• Sheridan, J.A., Jay, M., Montgomery, J., Pellegrini, M. & Cahill Wilson, J. Tara Boy: local hero or international Man of Mystery? In M. O’Sullivan (ed.) Tara – From the past to the future (Wordwell: Dublin), 207-32.

Presentations/Lectures:

January Environmental science, presented to students from NUI Galway

March Presentation of The Discovery Programme mission statement and research. Environmental Change Symposium. NUI Galway

April Andy Halpin, Meriel McClatchie and Ingelise Stuijts. Deposition of environmental material. A lot done, more to do…. A proposal from the National Museum of Ireland (NMI), the Irish Archaeobotany Discussion Group (IADG) and the Irish Wood Anatomist Association (IWAA). Institute of Archaeologists of Ireland Spring conference, Dublin

Presentation to IT Sligo Students in Discovery Programme, Dublin

May ‘What charcoal can do for you. CIG Conference, NUI Galway

June Professor Liam Downey and Dr Ingelise Stuijts. Introductory lecture: Overview of Irish food products made from earlier times. Agricultural History Society of Ireland jointly with Irish Environmental History Network group, Kilkenny (organized by Dr Ingelise Stuijts and Professor Liam Downey)

November Professor Liam Downey and Dr Ingelise Stuijts. Dr E.J. Went revisited: 12th-19th century fisheries. A historical perspective on Irish fisheries. Joint conference on Irish fisheries, food products and exports: a historical perspective. Helen Roe Theatre, Royal Society of Antiquaries of Ireland, Dublin (organized by Dr Ingelise Stuijts and Professor Liam Downey)

Presentations/Lectures:

April The Gaelic background and reaction to the AngloNorman incursion in the SW midlands, and Roscrea in particular, in the late twelfth and early thirteenth-centuries. Roscrea Spring Conference The poets and chroniclers of the midlands in the twelfth and thirteenth-centuries. Roscrea Spring Conference

Respondent to contributions to the Norwegian Academy of Science and Letters project Warrior and King directed by Professor Jan Erik Rekdal (University of Oslo)

June From Winchester to Waterford: the politics of the twelfth-century Irish church. Piety, politics and prelates: a conference celebrating the 650th anniversary of the unification of the Dioceses of Waterford and Lismore. Waterford

October Monasteries in the shadow of empire: comparative approaches to the role of the Franciscan and Cistercian orders in European State building (12th-15th centuries). Eichstätt, Germany (funded by the European Science Foundation)

Sovereignty, governance and identity in medieval Ireland: the lessons of history. Sovereignty, Debt and Equity in time of crisis. Royal Irish Academy organized by the Keough-Naughton Institute for Irish Studies, University of Notre Dame

Publications 2013:

• The world of medieval Irish learning. In S. Duffy (ed.), Princes, prelates and poets in medieval Ireland. Essays in honour of Katharine Simms (Four Courts Press, Dublin), 389-405.

4.LECTURES, CONFERENCESAND PUBLICATIONS

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DISCOVERY PROGRAMME STAFF 2013

Current Staff Role

Dr Edel Bhreathnach CEO Ms Kathleen O'Sullivan Company Administrator Ms Aoife Kane Administrative Assistant Dr Ingelise Stuijts Environmentalist Mr Anthony Corns Technology Manager Mr Robert Shaw Senior Geo-Surveyor Mr Gary Devlin Surveyor

Mr Patrick Griffin 3D Modellor

Dr Jacqueline Cahill Wilson Project Director Dr Gerard Dowling Assistant Project Director Ms Michael Ann Bevivino Research Assistant Ms Philippa Barry Research Assistant Ms Claire Cotter Project Director Mr Steven McGlade Archaeologist Mr Ian McCarthy Graphic Designer

Mr Ciaron Fitzpatrick Graphic Designer

Dr Niamh Nic Ghabhann Research Assistant

Dr Keith Smith Research Assistant

LIARI Project Outreach 2013

Presentations/Lectures:

January ‘Pushing Boundaries: Ireland’s relationship with Rome’, The Society of Antiquaries London

February ‘The Late Iron Age and ‘Roman’ Ireland Project’, Athlone Archaeological and Historical Society

March ‘Fluid frontiers: Ireland and the Roman world in the 1st –5th centuries AD’, Westport Civic Trust, Co. Mayo.

April ‘The Romans in Ireland’, Open Public Lecture, National Museum of Ireland

May ‘Romans in a ‘Celtic” Iron Age’, University of Southampton

October ‘Ireland in the early centuries AD’, NUI Galway.

November ‘The Late Iron Age and ‘Roman’ Ireland Project’, University College Dublin

Other Lectures

April ’Archaeological investigations at Ráith Airthir', Teltown, Kells Heritage Trust, Co. Meath.

May ‘The importance of human remains in archaeology’, Outreach: CBS Enniscorthy, Co.Wexford

Publications

• Sheridan, J.A., Jay, M., Montgomery, J., Pellegrini, M. & Cahill Wilson, J. Tara Boy: local hero or international Man of Mystery? In M. O’Sullivan (ed.) Tara – From the past to the future (Wordwell: Dublin), 207-32.

Presentations/Lectures:

January Environmental science, presented to students from NUI Galway

March Presentation of The Discovery Programme mission statement and research. Environmental Change Symposium. NUI Galway

April Andy Halpin, Meriel McClatchie and Ingelise Stuijts. Deposition of environmental material. A lot done, more to do…. A proposal from the National Museum of Ireland (NMI), the Irish Archaeobotany Discussion Group (IADG) and the Irish Wood Anatomist Association (IWAA). Institute of Archaeologists of Ireland Spring conference, Dublin

Presentation to IT Sligo Students in Discovery Programme, Dublin

May ‘What charcoal can do for you. CIG Conference, NUI Galway

June Professor Liam Downey and Dr Ingelise Stuijts. Introductory lecture: Overview of Irish food products made from earlier times. Agricultural History Society of Ireland jointly with Irish Environmental History Network group, Kilkenny (organized by Dr Ingelise Stuijts and Professor Liam Downey)

November Professor Liam Downey and Dr Ingelise Stuijts. Dr E.J. Went revisited: 12th-19th century fisheries. A historical perspective on Irish fisheries. Joint conference on Irish fisheries, food products and exports: a historical perspective. Helen Roe Theatre, Royal Society of Antiquaries of Ireland, Dublin (organized by Dr Ingelise Stuijts and Professor Liam Downey)

Environmental Project Outreach CEO Outreach 2013

Presentations/Lectures:

April The Gaelic background and reaction to the AngloNorman incursion in the SW midlands, and Roscrea in particular, in the late twelfth and early thirteenth-centuries. Roscrea Spring Conference The poets and chroniclers of the midlands in the twelfth and thirteenth-centuries. Roscrea Spring Conference

Respondent to contributions to the Norwegian Academy of Science and Letters project Warrior and King directed by Professor Jan Erik Rekdal (University of Oslo)

June From Winchester to Waterford: the politics of the twelfth-century Irish church. Piety, politics and prelates: a conference celebrating the 650th anniversary of the unification of the Dioceses of Waterford and Lismore. Waterford

October Monasteries in the shadow of empire: comparative approaches to the role of the Franciscan and Cistercian orders in European State building (12th-15th centuries). Eichstätt, Germany (funded by the European Science Foundation)

Sovereignty, governance and identity in medieval Ireland: the lessons of history. Sovereignty, Debt and Equity in time of crisis. Royal Irish Academy organized by the Keough-Naughton Institute for Irish Studies, University of Notre Dame

Publications 2013:

• The world of medieval Irish learning. In S. Duffy (ed.), Princes, prelates and poets in medieval Ireland. Essays in honour of Katharine Simms (Four Courts Press, Dublin), 389-405.

29 02 30

5.FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

Laser scan survey of the monastic site on Skellig Michael was undertakenas part of the 3D-Icons project and in collaberation with the OPW

INCOME AND EXPENDITURE ACCOUNTFor the year ended 31 December 2012

Accounting policies and notes 1 to 20 form part of these financial statements. All income and expenditure for the year ended 31 December 2012 relate to continuing activities. The company had no other gains or losses in the financial year or the precedingyear other than those dealt with in the Income and Expenditure Account.

The financial statements were approved and authorized for issue by the board of directors on 15 October 2013and signed on its behalf by Dr Rachel Moss and Prof Terence Barry.

IncomeAmount in Euros (€)Notes

Notes

Heritage Council

Dept. of Environment, Community & Local Government - Hill of Tara project

Dept. of Environment, Community & Local Government - Western Stone Fort project

Transfer (to) / from capital account

2012

750,000

7,042

15,18516

13456

7

835,136

2011

850,000

-

5,000 7,000

2,642 14,620

(42,579)894,728

ExpenditureWages and salariesInterest and chargesPromotions and conferencesOffice and accomodation Research consultancy

Training and recruitment

2012

634,364485

11,154116,86123,487

369252

573Photography

2011

605,538519

11,989117,059

18,753 7,672

36,678

4,1132,133

-

RecruitmentTravelling and subsistencePublicationsAccountancy and professional feesAuditors remuneration

Subscriptions

33,87910,9964,700

2,54628,731

Relocation expenses

Depreciation

(887,187) (884,809)

47,59711,9694,700

2,21826,781

-Project expenses - 3D-Icons and ArcLand 4,10137Fieldwork and excavation costs 1,042

Deficit for the year (36,866)91,176Opening surplus 1 January

(32,660)123,836

54,310Closing surplus 31 December 91,176

700-

850,321 852,149

European Union’s Culture 2007−2013 framework - ArchaeoLandscape Europe project

11,903 -European Union’s Competitiveness & Innovation frameworkprogramme - 3D-Icons project

Dept. of the Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht 15,000 -Outsourced Services 29,767 16,611Other Income 5,265 2,972Interest Receivable 1,475 3,525

Heritage Council - Hill of Tara project 7,042 -

BALANCE SHEETBalance Sheet as at 31 December 2012

72,059 87,244

Amout in Euros (€)

Tangible Assets

2012 2011

72,059 87,244Capital Account54,310 91,176Income and expenditure account

126,369 178,420TOTAL CAPITAL EMPLOYED

12,27921,503

232,525

15,15413,725

142,830

StocksDebtorsCash at bank and in hand

(211,997)54,310

(80,533)91,176

CREDITORS (amounts falling due within one year)NET CURRENT ASSETSTOTAL NET ASSETS

Fixed Assests

Current Assests

Capital and Reserves

Accounting policies and notes 1 to 20 form part of these financial statements.

The financial statements were approved and authorized for issue by the board of directors on 15 October 2013 and signed on its behalf by Dr Rachel Moss and Prof Terence Barry.

266,307 171,709

126,369 178,420

Notes

Notes

Notes

9

10

11

16

31 32

t.f.e.

w

The Discovery Programme63 Merrion Square South, Dublin 2

+353 (0) 1 639 3039 +353 (0) 1 639 3710info@discoveryprogramme.ie

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