Boyne and Beyond: Essays in appreciation of George Eogan

The UNESCO World Heritage Site of Brú na Bóinne in the Boyne Valley is home to Ireland’s most important passage tomb complexes at Knowth, Dowth and Newgrange. Knowth, in particular, was the focus of decades of research by the late Professor George Eogan, whose excavations transformed our understanding of the monument, its landscape and prehistoric Ireland more broadly.

Drawing inspiration from Professor Eogan’s legacy, the National Monuments Service 5th annual archaeology conference explored the Boyne Valley monuments within a wider prehistoric context. Boyne and Beyond: Essays in Appreciation of George Eogan brings together a selection of papers from this conference, examining Knowth through time, megalithic art in the Boyne Valley and beyond, the Dowth Hall passage tomb, and Ireland’s place in the wider prehistoric world.

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Dowth Hall Passage Tomb

In 2017, a long-overlooked monument within Brú na Bóinne came back to light with the discovery of a substantial passage tomb, approximately 40 metres in diameter, surrounding the eighteenth-century neoclassical Dowth Hall. Two burial chambers, both located on the western side of the monument, were found to have been enclosed within a stone cairn, while part of the kerbstone setting was identified along the southern edge.

Archaeological evidence suggests that this Middle Neolithic monument experienced at least eight distinct phases of activity, with Chalcolithic, early medieval and modern communities all leaving their imprint on the site. Its rediscovery in 2017 marks a new chapter in the monument’s long history, allowing its story to be reconstructed and preserved for future generations.

Boyne and Beyond Conference

The UNESCO World Heritage site of Brú na Bóinne in the Boyne Valley is home to Ireland’s finest passage tomb complexes of Knowth, Dowth and Newgrange.

Knowth in particular was the focus of many years of work by the late Professor George Eogan, whose excavations have provided significant contributions to our understanding of this monument and landscape through the millennia and to wider prehistoric Ireland.

Inspired by Professor Eogan’s legacy, this international conference takes a step back to examine the Boyne Valley monuments in the context of the wider prehistoric world.

This conference is presented by the National Monuments Service of the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage in partnership with the Office of Public Works and organised by Wordwell | Archaeology Ireland.

Acknowledgements

The organisers are especially grateful to Michael MacDonagh, Chief Archaeologist of the National Monuments Service of the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage, and the staff of the National Monuments Service, who contributed to the organisation of this day.

We would also like to thank the Office of Public Works, especially all the staff at the Dublin Castle events office, in particular Mr Christiaan Feehan and Mr Dee Rogers, who have made our organisational path as smooth as possible.

Dr Sharon Greene (Editor, Archaeology Ireland) developed the conference programme and we are delighted to have a great line-up of speakers who will provide fascinating insights on the archaeology of the Boyne Valley and beyond.

We are grateful for all their efforts and those of Wordwell | Archaeology Ireland staff, particularly Helen Dunne, who have been key to the administration of the day and without them it would not be possible to hold such an event.

Dr Una MacConville, Conference Organiser