About

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 is a national archaeological research body supported by the Heritage Council. The Discovery Programme pursues its goals by identifying 'gaps' in our knowledge or areas where intense research is required or would be valuable. A dedicated project team is then employed for a suitable period to pursue the topic in question.

It promotes interdisciplinary research involving experts in the humanities (anthropologists, historians, linguists) and the sciences (particularly the sciences that study the landscape and environment of the past; paleoenvironmental, osteoarchaeological, geological, flora and fauna). It engages with constantly evolving new technologies in digital imaging and surveying techniques and promotes their introduction into the operation of Irish archaeological more generally.

The Discovery Programme also develops outreach activities to communicate the results of its projects to the general public as well the academic community. These activities include the publication of scientific books and papers and collaborative outreach projects with national cultural institutions, third and fourth level institutions, local authorities and local heritage partnerships.

The online image collections of the Discovery Programme attest to the wide variety of projects that have been conducted in the past. These images are taken from projects such as the Western Stone Fort Project, The Medieval Rural Settlement Project, The North Munster Project and The Lake Settlement Project.

For more information on the work of the Discovery Programme visit http://www.discoveryprogramme.ie/.