Launch of final volume on the passage tombs at Knowth

The launch of the final volume of a publication series on the Neolithic passage tomb of Knowth Volume 7 of the Royal Irish Academy’s Knowth Excavation Series took place on 21st June on Summer Solstice in the shadow of the passage tomb at Knowth visitor centre. It was launched by the Minister of State for Heritage and Electoral Reform, Malcolm Noonan T.D.

Knowth is one of the three great passage tombs that form the core of the Brú na Bóinne World Heritage Property in County Meath, the other two being Newgrange and Dowth.

Archaeological excavations at Knowth, under the direction of the late George Eogan, MRIA, then at the Department of Irish archaeology in TCD and later Professor of Celtic Archaeology in UCD, commenced in 1962 and continued seasonally until 2000.

Since excavations finished, the focus has been on publishing the results – six previous volumes have been published by the Royal Irish Academy dealing with the history of Knowth and its hinterland, the excavation of the smaller satellite tombs, the prehistoric and early medieval settlement at the site, the finds from the site and the passage tomb archaeology. This final Volume 7, by Professor George Eogan and under the archaeological editorship of Professor Elizabeth Shee-Twohig, deals with the megalithic art of the tombs- the Knowth art, carved c. 3,200BC when the tomb was built, is the largest concentration of such art anywhere in Europe, and is dominated by the remarkable decoration of the curb stones.

This is a landmark publication of international significance, and the entire series will be a standard reference for prehistoric archaeology for years to come.

Sadly, Professor Eogan passed away last November, aged 91, and the launch was very much a tribute to him and a celebration of his work. Professor Eogan’s wife Fiona and family were in attendance. President of the Royal Irish Academy, Professor Mary Canning said: ‘The dissemination of the scholarship emerging from archaeological excavations is an essential element of the overall process. It has been the Royal Irish Academy’s privilege to publish the output of the excavations that began at Knowth 60 years ago under the direction of the late Professor George Eogan, MRIA, in our Excavations at Knowth series. I am delighted that thanks to our colleagues at the National Monuments Service and the Office of Public Works we can celebrate the anniversary of the excavations and the launch of The megalithic art of the Passage tombs at Knowth, here at the site, in the company of Professor Eogan’s family and many of the archaeologists, researchers and experts who worked with him over the years.

Minister of State for Heritage and Electoral Reform Malcolm Noonan T.D said:

“It was such an honour for me to launch this remarkable publication on such an important daten. All credit to the Academy’s editorial team, to Professor Shee-Twohig, to everyone who had a hand in its development and of course to the late Professor George Eogan, for his remarkable legacy of investigation, discovery and research which has enriched all our lives in displaying the achievements of our ancient past.”