The Discovery Programme: Centre for Archaeology and Innovation Ireland

The Discovery Programme is an all-island centre for archaeology and heritage science.

Overview

The organisation’s primary aims are to benefit the community by advancing research in Irish archaeology along with other disciplines such as archival studies, history and modern technology, and sharing this knowledge with a wide range of audiences. Established in 1991, over twenty-five years of research, it has worked on the great ceremonial complex of Tara, Co. Meath, Dún Aonghasa on the Aran Islands, the medieval rural landscape of Roscommon and the medieval economy of Dublin and its hinterland. It has also pioneered technical advances in archaeological surveying and visualisation and is a leading partner in a number of European networks in this field.

Programmes

What work the Heritage Council is funding this year:

The Heritage Council’s core funding granted in 2016 has enabled the Discovery Programme to

Continue developing its ground-breaking 3D-Icons Project (www.3dicons.ie) especially concentrating on producing highly accurate 3D models, images, texts and videos of Ireland’s high crosses for use for educational, research and tourism purposes
Begin a new phase of the Tara Research Project in collaboration with the Department of Archaeology, NUI Galway and the Römisch-Germanische Kommission (RGK, FranKfurt). Further fieldwork was carried out in June 2016 at Skreen, Faughan Hill and Riverstown near Tara, all sites in County Meath
Further develop the Monastic Ireland AD1100-1700: Landscape and Settlement Project a major research and tourism project relating to the archaeology, architecture and history of monasteries and friaries throughout Ireland