The Discovery Programme is delighted to be associated with Rural Settlement in Medieval Ireland in the light of recent archaeological excavations, edited by Christiaan Corlett and Michael Potterton, published recently by Wordwell in association with the Royal Society of Antiquaries of Ireland and the Discovery Programme.

The book evolved from a one-day seminar organised by the editors under the joint auspices of the Royal Society of Antiquaries of Ireland and the Discovery Programme. The seminar was the first in a series highlighting new discoveries in Irish archaeology ‘in the light of recent excavations’. As the sixteen papers in the volume attest, recent archaeological excavations have thrown a great deal of light on the nature of rural settlement in medieval Ireland. They have clarified some issues, while also posing new questions and setting new challenges. The book also includes papers by Dr Niall Brady, Rory McNeary and Brian Shanahan, of the Discovery Programme’s Medieval Rural Settlement Project.

Rural Settlement in Medieval Ireland is the first publication in a new series entitled ‘Research Papers in Irish Archaeology’. Each publication is preceded by a seminar, the aim of which is to highlight the results of recent excavations, on a thematic basis, and to facilitate the dissemination and discussion of this information. Five of these seminars have taken place so far. By extension, the subsequent publications are a more permanent and accessible contribution to this process. The second volume in the new series, entitled Death and Burial in Early Medieval Ireland, which will also be published in association with the RSAI, the DP and the INSTAR-funded Mapping Death project, is due to appear later in 2010. Further titles in the series, including Settlement in Early Medieval Ireland and Ireland in the Iron Age, will be issued in due course. The next seminar, on ‘Burial in the Irish Bronze Age’, will be held at 63 Merrion Square on Friday 17 April 2010 (for more information, please contact This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it ).

Dr Michael Potterton, one of the editors of the book, has recently left the Discovery Programme after seven years with us. We wish him every success in the next stage of his career. The main result of his work with the Discovery Programme, the book entitled The Dublin Region in the Middle Ages: settlement, land-use and economy, which he jointly authored with Dr Margaret Murphy, has been sent to the publishers for issuing later this year.