23 February 2026
By Elaine Murphy
elaine@TheCork.ie
Lisleagh is near Kilworth in North County Cork
The Royal Irish Academy is pleased to announce the allocation of €190,000 for projects under the Archaeological Research Excavation Grants, Archaeology Legacy Grants and Archaeological Archival Research Grants schemes.
The grants schemes are generously supported by the National Monuments Service (Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage) and will enable archaeological research projects to take place across the country in 2026.
Among the most significant of these is the Lisleagh Ringforts project in County Cork, that falls under the Archaeology Legacy Grants scheme, which supports post-excavation research on RIA-funded excavations conducted over five years ago.
Archaeologist Mick Monk will lead the project. Lisleagh I and II are two closely positioned ringforts located on the terminal spur of the Kilworth hills. Their excavation and the post excavation work, supported by the RIA funding, has demonstrated their archaeological significance in early medieval times. Lisleagh I is best known for producing the earliest evidence for ancient food in Ireland in the form of fragments of oat cakes made with whey.
Other excavation projects funded by the Archaeology Legacy Grants scheme include Michael Potterton’s continued work on Moynagh Lough, Co. Meath, Richard Jennings work in Castlepook (Co. Cork) and Chris Read’s post-excavation analysis of Kilteasheen in Co. Roscommon.
The Archaeology Research Excavation grants will see Neil Jackman attempting to shed more light on Viking Woodstown, Nial O’Neill carry out further excavations of the enigmatic Ballymoon Castle in Co. Carlow and Noel McCarthy to undertake an analysis of a destroyed court tomb on the Maree peninsula in Co. Galway.
Under the Archaeological Archival Research Grants scheme, instead, Cathy Moore will review and assess peatland archaeological legacy samples and Jess Beck will examine the prehistoric burials of the Phoenix Park.
Mary Deevy, Chair of the Standing Committee for Archaeology at the Royal Irish Academy, said:
‘These three distinct but complementary grant schemes, will facilitate a diverse range of research centred on archaeological excavation – whether new, old or from the archives. Exciting results are anticipated some of which will change the face of Irish archaeology as we know it!’