The Discovery Programme

The Discovery Programme is a public institution for advanced research in Irish archaeology. As distinct from the other public bodies that deal with Irish archaeology, the Discovery Programme’s sole activity is to engage in full-time archaeological and related research, in order to enhance our knowledge of Ireland’s past. Our only other concerns are to communicate the results of that research, as appropriate, to scholars and the general public, and to promote the introduction of new technologies and new techniques into Irish archaeology.

The Discovery Programme was set up in 1991 and was funded initially by the government through direct grants. Now, as an independent body, it is mainly funded by an annual grant from the Heritage Council.

The Discovery Programme undertakes to answer, through investigative research projects, questions in Irish archaeology that arise from time to time. The organisation is governed by a Council and Directorate whose members comprise leading Irish archaeologists from the whole of the country (north and south).