Dear colleagues,
(with apologies for cross-postings)

The Early Medieval Archaeology Project (EMAP) is a collaborative archaeological research 
consortium based in University College Dublin's School of Archaeology/Queens University 
Belfast's School of Geography, Archaeology and Palaeoecology, (with Principal 
Investigators in Dr. Aidan O'Sullivan, UCD and Dr Finbar McCormick, QUB (see 
www.emap.ie for team and collaborators) and research partners in CRDS, ACS and MGL 
Ltd.

EMAP has been funded by UCD Seed Funding 2007, the Irish Heritage Council 
Archaeological Research Grants 2007 & 2008 scheme and the Heritage Council INSTAR 
2008 programme. A funding application has also been made for the INSTAR 2009 
programme for further research and publication.

EMAP completed in 2008 a series of archaeological reports based on its research and we 
are delighted to announce that all these can now be downloaded at our website at 
www.emap.ie

O’Sullivan, A., McCormick, F. Kerr, T. and Harney, L. 2008 Early Medieval Ireland: 
archaeological excavations 1930-2004, EMAP Report 2.1
available to download at http://www.ucd.ie/t4cms/emap_report_2_1_complete.pdf

This is our major work of archaeological synthesis in 2008. This report provides a 
complete study of early medieval excavations in Ireland, 1930-2004 and reviews the 
subject in terms of early medieval settlement, dwellings and landscape; the early 
medieval church; death and burial; agriculture and economy; crafts and industry; trade 
and exchange. The report – with 352 pages, figs, tables and an extensive bibliography - 
will be published as an archaeological monograph by the Royal Irish Academy, Dublin in 
2009. It obviously requires further editing and fact checking and we would deeply 
appreciate any and all comments on the text, preferably submitted to 
[log in to unmask] before January 31st 2009. 


Harney, L., O’Sullivan, A., McCormick, F. and Kerr, T. 2008 A bibliography of early 
medieval archaeology in Ireland version 1. EMAP Report 2.2.
available to download at http://www.ucd.ie/t4cms/emap_report_2_2_complepeted.pdf

This is the largest bibliography of early medieval archaeology ever compiled in Ireland. It 
is based on our database of c.4,500 entries from the 19th century to 2008 and this is 
version 1. Undoubtedly, publications have been omitted and we would welcome 
comments. We hope it serves as a useful resource for all archaeological and historical 
researchers of this period in Ireland and beyond. 


Sands, R., Harney, L., Kerr, T. and O’Sullivan, M. 2008 A database of early medieval 
archaeological excavations in Ireland, 1930-2004. EMAP Report 2.3.
Available for download at http://www.ucd.ie/t4cms/emap_report_2_3_complepeted.pdf

This ‘hard copy’ document provides a summary account or list of the much larger and 
more useful EMAP Research Database (on 2,208 early medieval archaeological sites) that 
has ben developed under the supervision of Dr. Robert Sands. Further research in 2009 
aims to improve this database and to place it online in the project’s Research Portal at 
www.emap.ie 

In 2009, we look forward to enabling more archaeological research on early medieval 
Ireland; when we have plans for an ambitious study of early medieval settlement and 
landscape, which will be our second monograph for publication in 2009. We will be 
developing a version 2 of our early medieval archaeological bibliography. We also hope to 
develop www.emap.ie as an early medieval archaeology research portal -  with an 
interactive website and an online database of early medieval excavations 1930-2004.

Yours sincerely,

Dr. Aidan O’Sullivan

UCD School of Archaeology,
College of Arts and Celtic Studies,
University College Dublin

8th January 2009