Search the EPA Research Database

Project title

Irish Peatland Archaeology Across Time

Primary Funding Agency

Irish Research Council

Co-Funding Organisation(s)

n/a

Lead Organisation

University College Cork (UCC)

Lead Applicant

n/a

Project Abstract

Four decades of state and commercially funded archaeological excavations in midland industrial raised bogs have generated a unique resource of knowledge on the distribution and character of Irish peatland archaeology on a national scale. A substantial body of scientific dating information; both radiocarbon and dendrochronological has also been generated through these projects. Associated palaeoenvironmental datasets have produced a significant corpus of information regarding patterns and processes of Holocene mire development, human impact and landscape change. There have, however, been few attempts to analyse or integrate these datasets on inter-regional or national scales. As commercial peat extraction ceases and the focus shifts to peatland rehabilitation for the restoration of ecosystem services, the peatland archaeological record represents a key resource for community groups engaged in peatland conservation initiatives. Irish Peatland Archaeology Across Time (IPeAAT) seeks to gather these strands through the compilation, collation and formal analysis of the extensive archaeological, chronological and palaeoenvironmental datasets. The analysis will address key knowledge gaps concerning site types, spatial distribution and chronology, and the interrelationship between past human activity in peatlands and Holocene environmental change. The project will also address how these data can be better communicated to stakeholder groups, in particular public society and organisations involved in peatland conservation and rehabilitation, and consider how archaeological and palaeoenvironmental perspectives can be employed to create positive narratives concerning future climate and environmental changes. Collation of these findings will also generate the development of a research framework for Irish peatland archaeology.

Grant Approved

�219,436.25

Research Hub

n/a

Research Theme

Ireland's Future Climate, its Impacts, and Adaptation Options

Start Date

01/09/2022

Initial Projected Completion Date

01/09/2024