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A 'fairy dart' from north Roscommon

Archaeologists Eve Campbell and Conor Brady explore the prehistoric and historic significance of a flint artefact discovered on the N5 in County Roscommon.

An Iron Age bowl from Tullen, Co. Roscommon

Independent woodworking specialist Caitríona Moore and senior archaeologist Ros Ó Maoldúin of Archaeological Management Solutions report on the discovery of a well-preserved Iron Age alder bowl on the N5 Ballaghaderreen to Scramoge Road Scheme in County Roscommon.

A Great Langdale tuff axe from Shankill, Co. Roscommon

Archaeologist Ros Ó Maoldúin and geologist Stephen Mandal highlight a Neolithic polished stone axehead with an exotic origin, found in Shankill townland, on the N5 Ballaghaderreen to Scramoge Road Scheme in County Roscommon.

Prehistoric occupation and ritual at Carroweighter, Co. Roscommon

Shane Delaney of IAC Archaeology investigates prehistoric occupation and ritual at Carroweighter, Co. Roscommon, on the N60 Oran Road Realignment.

An early medieval wooden vessel from Gortcurreen, Listowel, Co. Kerry

Tony Bartlett and Ross Drummond of Archaeological Management Solutions describe an important addition to the study of early medieval wooden artefacts from rural Ireland that was discovered on the N69 Listowel Bypass.

Genetic bone tumours in medieval Donegal

Iseult Jackson of the Smurfit Institute of Genetics, Trinity College Dublin, reports on the results of significant new genetic research on two medieval burials from Ballyhanna, Co. Donegal.

3D-modelling a late medieval field system at Ballygillin 1, Co. Westmeath

Ian Russell of Archaeological Consultancy Services Unit expounds on the production of a 3D model of a late medieval field system excavated on the N52 Cloghan–Billistown Phase 2—Turin to Billistown Realignment in County Westmeath.

Neolithic pit-digging in County Kerry

Kerri Cleary and John Olney of Archaeological Consultancy Services Unit relate some surprising prehistoric discoveries made at Kilcolman Demesne, Co. Kerry, during excavations on the N70 Kilderry Bends Improvement Scheme.

TII archaeology at the National Museum of Ireland

TII Archaeologist Michael Stanley highlights one of the artefacts being displayed for the first time at the National Museum of Ireland's new exhibition Glendalough: Power, Prayer and Pilgrimage.

Catching Time: a workshop on the dos and don’ts of radiocarbon dating and calibration

TII Senior Archaeologist James Eogan reports on a workshop on the dos and don’ts of radiocarbon dating and calibration delivered by Dr Katharina Becker, Department of Archaeology, University College Cork, and Dr Derek Hamilton, SUERC, University of Glasgow.

The medieval stud farm of royal Mullamast: a story to read and hear

To coincide with the formal launch of the latest TII paperback and audio book, TII Archaeologist Noel Dunne details the rediscovery of a 'lost' medieval village at Mullamast, Co. Kildare, which may well be the county's first attested stud farm.

Scholars and skeletons

TII Archaeologist Martin Jones reports on a workshop on osteoarchaeology held at the National Museum of Ireland, Kildare Street, that offered secondary school students a rare glimpse of life in early medieval Ireland.

Tram 94, where are you?

In advance of the imminent opening of Luas Cross City, Dr Frank Prendergast, formerly of DIT Bolton Street, reports on the rare survival of a stereo-photographic card that provides a novel three-dimensional insight into Dublin’s public transport heritage.

A new dimension to a 19th-century limekiln in Liscromwell, Co. Mayo

Archaeologists with Mayo County Council and ACSU Ltd discuss the use of limekilns in 19th-century rural Ireland and present a three-dimensional model of a recently excavated kiln on the route of the N5 Turlough-Westport road scheme.

Archaeological facial reconstruction in Ireland

Archaeological facial reconstruction integrates rigorous scientific methodologies with an artistic dimension to reconstruct the human countenance from skeletal material. We can use this endeavour and these faces to connect to our shared human past. Through this, we see that those that came before us are actually not that different from us after all. In this example we meet an early medieval ancestor from Owenbristy, Co. Galway.

Minimising impact while increasing knowledge at Mullanstown, Louth

In 1909, while ploughing a low, flat-topped hillock in the townland of Mullanstown, Co. Louth, a farmer unexpectedly came upon human bones. Nearly 100 years later, during the early planning stages for the N52 Ardee Bypass, archaeologists had an opportunity to reinvestigate this site and, with the aid of the results from geophysical survey and archaeological testing, facilitate a redesign of the preferred route so as to avoid the core of an important early medieval burial ground.

The delicate task of excavating an Early Bronze Age urn burial

The discovery of a prehistoric urn burial is a comparatively rare event in the course of excavations on proposed road schemes. Their careful excavation and recording provides the opportunity to examine the funerary rites of our ancestors and to come close to investigating a single defined event: the burial of a member of the community.

Touring Tralee's Past

On the 25 January 2014, the general public were presented with the opportunity to learn about the archaeological discoveries made along the recently opened N22 Tralee Bypass during a free seminar entitled ‘Touring Tralee’s Past’, which was organised by the NRA and Kerry County Council. Speakers from Rubicon Heritage Services Ltd and Irish Archaeological Consultancy Ltd contributed to the afternoon event, which was hosted by the Kerry County Museum in Tralee.

Imagining archaeology through art

A series of reconstruction drawings were commissioned in late 2013 for inclusion in a number of forthcoming TII publications. The images were created by artists J G O’Donoghue and Dave Pollock working closely with archaeologists who have specialist expertise in each of the subjects illustrated. While faithful to the excavated evidence, all involved had to combine their skills and knowledge to choose which details to use to tell a story of a point in time in the life of a person, object or place.