UCD School of Archaeology

31/08/2026

Congratulations to Dr Mark Haughton, MSCA Postdoctoral Scholar UCD School of Archaeology, on being featured in the Irish Farmers Journal in August following his presentation at the Agricultural History Society of Ireland (AHSI) conference in Leenane, Co Galway.

“In a paper entitled ‘How Wool Transformed Prehistoric Ireland’, Mark Haughton, from the School of Archaeology at University College Dublin (UCD) outlined how the arrival of sheep for wool profoundly changed Irish farming, as well as the natural environment and society.”

https://www.farmersjournal.ie/news/news/tracing-irelands-links-to-the-wool-age-922731

https://marie-sklodowska-curie-actions.ec.europa.eu

https://people.ucd.ie/mark.haughton

University College Dublin, UCD College of Social Sciences and Law

30/08/2026

Moynagh Lough Conference 2026

Moynagh Lough 2026: new research on archaeology, finds, environment and archives from this exceptional multi-period wetland site.

Moynagh Lough 2026: new research on archaeology, finds, environment and archives from this exceptional multi-period wetland site.

27/08/2026

'Beyond animal glue: Paleoproteomic analysis of paint binders and adhesives in ancient Egypt'

Congratulations to Meaghan Mackie, Research Ireland PhD Scholar at UCD School of Archaeology, on her contribution to this significant paper in Science Advances. Meaghan's work was undertaken while she was at the Globe Institute and Novo Nordisk Foundation Center for Protein Research at the University of Copenhagen. Their paper suggest that the artists of ancient Egypt cared deeply about every step of their work.

https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/sciadv.ady3618

https://gizmodo.com/scientists-find-unexpected-ingredients-in-ancient-egyptian-paint-2000803338

University College Dublin, UCD College of Social Sciences and Law, UCD Mediterranean Archaeology

The findings suggest that the artists of ancient Egypt cared deeply about every step of their work.

23/08/2026

Fantastic double Heritage Week event yesterday focusing on the Mesolithic Site and Life in Ferriter's Cove, Co. Kerry. At the West Kerry Museum Billy Mag Fhloinn of Sacred Heart University gave a presentation on replicate objects and foods from the Ferriter’s Cove excavations which drew a large crowd. This was followed by a visit to the site where the excavations by Peter Woodman 1983-1995 and current research were presented by Dr Martin Moucheron and Prof Graeme Warren of UCD School of Archaeology. Both events created very positive feedback and interesting discussions. It not all about bears and boars!

https://www.heritageweek.ie/event-listings/excavations-and-survey-of-a-mesolithic-site-in-ferriters-cove

https://www.ucd.ie/newsandopinion/news/2026/august/17/kerrycowbonesrevealedasancientbearremainschallenginglong-heldtheoryonfarmingsarrivalinirelandandgreatbritain/

University College Dublin, UCD College of Social Sciences and Law, Research Ireland, The Heritage Council

18/08/2026

‘No sacred cows: ZooMS identification of the Late Mesolithic bone assemblage at Ferriter’s Cove, Co. Kerry, Ireland’🐄🐻🐗

In PAST 113, Summer 2026, Dr Martin Moucheron and collaborators from UCD School of Archaeology, UCC Archaeology and CNRS discuss significant new results that question some long-held ideas about the introduction of farming to Ireland.

“These results have a significant impact on our understanding of the Mesolithic–Neolithic ‘transition’ both in Ireland and in Western Europe more broadly since, as things stand, there is now no evidence of contact between Ireland and its Neolithic neighbours before 4000 BC."

https://www.ucd.ie/newsandopinion/news/2026/august/17/kerrycowbonesrevealedasancientbearremainschallenginglong-heldtheoryonfarmingsarrivalinirelandandgreatbritain/

https://www.prehistoricsociety.org/publications/past/113

Dr Moucheron's work is funded under a Research Ireland Government of Ireland Postdoctoral Fellowship 2025-2027. https://people.ucd.ie/martin.moucheron

University College Dublin, UCD College of Social Sciences and Law

15/08/2026

UCD Archaeology Society field trip to Brittany, Spring 1987

15/08/2026

Congratulations to our UCD Archaeology colleagues Associate Professor Neil Carlin and Prof Graeme Warren who have just joined the Royal Irish Academy’s Standing Committee for Archaeology, 2026-2030.

The Standing Committee for Archaeology (SCA) is made up of university archaeologists from UCC, QUB, UG, UU at Coleraine, ATU, archaeologists in the National Monuments Service, Historic Environment Division, NI; National Museum of Ireland, National Museums Northern Ireland, Transport Infrastructure Ireland, RSAI, RIA, the Institute of Archaeologists of Ireland, Local Authorities, and other bodies and institutions, and its members come from across Ireland and Northern Ireland.

It is regarded in our profession as the most representative and expert group of our discipline on the island of Ireland. The SCA meets three times a year to decide on a programme of work and to review and assess grants funding in the area of archaeology. The committee also raises and addresses issues, including those of public concern, relevant to its shared expertise. In recent years, it has taken energetic leadership on a range of issues, including compilation of a strategy document for the archaeological profession to 2030.

All bodies nominate two members for selection, on a gender balanced manner, and the SCA selects the final committee members based on gender balance, and the range of disciplinary expertises across the discipline. Assoc. Prof. Neil Carlin was selected by SCA to represent UCD School of Archaeology and Prof Graeme Warren as a MRIA, is one of two Members of the Royal Irish Academy, the RIA itself
https://lnkd.in/dVYM9Uhm
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14/08/2026

Nearly 1000 years ago, someone held a wooden gaming board. A cheese press. A comb. A shoe. Cathy Moore has held them too - excavating Drumclay Crannog and spending years studying these remarkable objects and the ancient woodworking techniques behind them.

On Friday 21 August, join Cathy for Masters of Their Craft at Drumclay Crannog. She'll share the stories of the skilled crafters who made them, how they were used and sometimes repaired, and what they reveal about medieval Fermanagh & Irish life.

🎤 Masters of Their Craft at Drumclay Crannog
📅 Friday 21 August
🕖 6:30pm - 8pm
📍 Enniskillen Castle

Places are limited - secure your place at this event:
www.enniskillencastle.co.uk/event/masters-of-their-craft-at-drumclay-crannog/

13/08/2026

13/08/2026

"Fragmented Bodies, Enduring relations: complex post-mortem processes across species in Prehistory"

We're a few weeks out from the deadline and are still eagerly accepting abstract submissions to our session at TAG26 in Exeter.
Don't hesitate to reach out with any questions in the meantime, we hope to see you there.

https://tag2026.square.site/