Publications & Reports

The INSTAR Programme was set up in 2008 to help realise the potential of Ireland’s archaeological record and to transform understanding of how Irish society has evolved. After two years of operation, this review finds the programme to be a spectacular success and a model form other countries to follow. 

The programme is transforming the very nature of Irish archaeological endeavour by bringing together the academic, regulatory and private sectors to address highly relevant research topics including climate change and landscape and is creating new knowledge and understanding for the academic world and for the

general public alike.

Summary document of Research Framework for Bru na Boinne, World Heritage Site. 

Research Framework for the Brú na Bóinne World Heritage Site.

Many traditional farm buildings may be home to nesting birds. As these are protected by law, buildings in receipt of a REPS 4

Traditional Farm Buildings Grant may require a bat and/ or bird survey before any works commence.

Using the conservation plan methodology introduced into Ireland by the Heritage Council,
the historical significance of all aspects of the building and site were documented. Based on a
careful survey of its qualities, Consarc Architects drew up plans for the building’s re-use. 

The
Heritage Council, conscious of the rich tapestry of history that could be read in the buildings,
was anxious to demonstrate that 'heritage' is a living thing, and that having a respectful attitude
to heritage does not curtail creativity, or contemporary interventions.

These guidelines have been developed for Ecological Consultants to standardise both the methodology for survey of structures within the Heritage Council’s Traditional Farm Buildings Scheme and the reporting of same. In developing these guidelines, we have drawn on a wide range of expertise and believe that the advice given is the best that is currently available. Bat surveys submitted to the building owner and the Heritage Council must adhere to these guidelines in order to satisfy grant requirements under the Traditional Farm Buildings Scheme.

One of the initiatives identified by the Heritage Council’s Strategic Plan 2007-2013 is that archaeological research issues and practice in the widest sense should be more overtly and consistently identified and from time to time reviewed. These research issues should also engage more with what both specialists and local communities find interesting about the past. To contribute to this the Heritage Council commissioned Mr George Lambrick to examine aerial archaeology in Ireland. Aerial Archaeology is the practice of using aircraft (or in some cases satellites) to provide a high-level view of the landscape based on conventional photography and a range of remote sensing technologies. That review is presented here.

The remit for this study was to inform national policy on issues relating to the conservation, enhancement and sustainable development of villages in Ireland. The stated aim was: “to examine the ways in which Village Design Statements have progressed and developed in Ireland, with particular emphasis on the involvement of the Heritage Council, Local Authorities / Local Authority Heritage Officers in VDS and the adoption of VDS as Supplementary Planning Guidance”.

This Public Realm Plan for the Walled Town of Fethard seeks to provide a strategic framework by which the town can maximise the benefits of its many assets, without losing those special qualities that give it character and charm. 

This approach is under-pinned by the wider need to place archaeological research into the context of public access, life-long learning, social inclusion and cultural diversity. The recommendations in this report attempt to address the crisis in which Irish archaeology was experiencing at this time.