Brú na Bóinne World Heritage Site: Research Framework

Description

Compiled and edited by Jessica Smyth. With contributions from Conor Brady, Jill Chadwick, Tom Condit, Gabriel Cooney, Ian Doyle, Loreto Guinan, Michael Potterton, Geraldine Stout and Clare Tuffy The Bend of the Boyne, or Brú na Bóinne, has been an important ritual, social and economic centre for thousands of years. Internationally renowned for its elaborate Neolithic passage tombs, and containing the largest assemblage of megalithic art in Europe, its universal value was recognised in 1993 when it was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site (WHS), only one of three on the island of Ireland. The Heritage Council, in collaboration with the Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government, has drafted a research framework for Brú na Bóinne which re-assesses key priorities and looks at where future research should be directed. Foreword iv Acknowledgements v Executive Summary vi Achoimre Feidhmiúcháin viii List of Figures x Section 1 — Introduction 1 1.1 Introduction 1 Why a Research Framework? 1 What is a Research Framework? 2 The Project 3 1.2 Brú na Bóinne in Context 3 1.3 History of Research 8 Section 2 — Resource Assessment 25 2.1 The Mesolithic 25 2.2 The Neolithic 25 2.3 The Bronze Age 37 2.4 The Iron Age 39 2.5 The Early Medieval Period 41 2.6 Continental Monasticism 46 2.7 The Anglo-Normans 49 2.8 Reform and Rebellion: The Sixteenth and Seventeenth Centuries 51 2.9 Economy and Industry: The Eighteenth Century Onwards 54 2.10 Modernisation to the Present Day 60 Section 3 — Research Agenda 64 3.1 Developing an Agenda 64 3.2 Research Questions 64 3.2.1 People 64 3.2.2 Politics and Power 68 3.2.3 Landscape and Environment 74 3.2.4 Legacy 80 3.2.5 The Living World Heritage Site 84 Section 4 — Research Strategy 90 4.1 Creating Objectives 90 4.1.1 The Big Gaps 90 4.1.2 The Mega-Tombs and Related Monuments 93 4.1.3 Integrating Monuments and Landscapes 95 4.1.4 Research Infrastructure 97 4.2 Mapping Research Capacity 100 4.2.1 Current Initiatives 102 Section 5 — Recommendations 108 Appendices 109 I. Research Committee and Working Groups 110 II. Consultation Process 112 III. Investigations Carried Out in the WHS 114 IV. Radiocarbon Dates from the WHS 117 V. Areas for Further Reading 130 References Cited in the Text 134 Index 145