Press release
Launch of ‘The Megalithic Art of the Passage Tombs at Knowth, County Meath’
From Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage
Published on
Last updated on
From Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage
Published on
Last updated on
Yesterday evening, on Summer Solstice in the shadow of the famous Passage Tomb itself, saw the launch of the final volume of a remarkable publication series on the Neolithic passage tomb of Knowth. Volume 7 of the Royal Irish Academy’s Knowth Excavation Series was launched by the Minister of State for Heritage and Electoral Reform, Malcolm Noonan, at the Knowth Visitor Centre, which is run by the Office of Public Works.
Knowth is 1 of the 3 great passage tombs that form the core of the Brú na Bóinne World Heritage Property in County Meath, the other 2 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 – 6 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 kerbstones.
The launch was timed to celebrate the Summer Solstice, the longest day of the year, such auspicious astronomical dates being considered of great ritual importance to those who built these great monuments. The launch also marked the 60th anniversary, almost to the day, of Professor Eogan commencing his excavations at Knowth. 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 said:
“It was such an honour for me to launch this remarkable publication on such an important date. 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.”
Extending a warm welcome to all attendees and in particular to Professor Eogan’s wife Fiona and family, Minister of State with responsibility for the Office of Public Works, Patrick O’Donovan said:
"I am delighted to join the celebrations here in Knowth today: of the Summer Solstice. Of 25 years this month of OPW welcoming visitors to the UNESCO World Heritage sites of Newgrange and Knowth though Bru na Boinne Visitor Centre. And, most importantly, of Professor George Eogan’s work, which he began 60 years ago this week with excavations at Knowth that revealed the largest passage tomb site in Western Europe. As custodians of Ireland’s most iconic and recognisable heritage sites, the Office of Public Works is proud to build and maintain that connection between the past, present and future, and I want to thank all those in the community, in academia and in our partner organisations who support us in deepening and strengthening that bond."
This publication was funded by the National Monument Service at the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage, the Heritage Council and Meath County Council.
The National Monuments Service Public Archaeology Conference takes place on 2 October 2022 – To Boyne and Beyond- it will focus on the heritage of Brú na Bóinne and will highlight the megalithic art of Knowth Passage Tomb among other things.
George Eogan BA, PhD, DLitt, LittD(hc), MRIA, FSA, was an Irish archaeologist with particular interest in the Neolithic and Late Bronze Ages. He was professor emeritus of Celtic Archaeology at University College Dublin. He was the director of the Knowth excavations for almost 40 years, as part of his research into the passage tomb builders in Ireland and Western Europe, and the results of his work in this area were published in an extensive series of books and papers. He also served as a member of Seanad Éireann.
Elizabeth Shee Twohig MA, PhD, MRIA, FSA, is a graduate of University College Cork, and was senior lecturer in Archaeology there until her retirement in 2007. Her research interests in megalithic art and megalithic tombs began when she worked on M.J. O’Kelly’s excavations at Newgrange in the 1960s. She is author of The megalithic art of Western Europe (Oxford University Press) and Irish megalithic tombs (Shire Publications), has published widely in academic journals across Europe, and has edited a number of books. In addition, she has served on a range of committees, councils and advisory bodies in archaeology, and was a vice-president of the Royal Irish Academy between 2004 and 2007.
Imprint: Royal Irish Academy
Series: Excavations at Knowth Audience(s): Professional and scholarly
Product format: Hardback, illustrated
Price: €70/£65.00/$140
ISBN: 9781911479420