Study of ancient site is up for award

Research into a previously unrecognised site of ancient Irish kings in Co Galway has been shortlisted for a British and Irish heritage award.

The site at Turoe, near Loughrea, is mentioned in the work of the geographer Ptolemy in around AD 100 and has been discovered to include an ancient road system and examples of La Tene art. It became forgotten and lost over the course of time.

The royal site has been the subject of study by Irish missionary priest Tom O'Connor and is one of three Irish-orientated projects to make the shortlist of six in this year's British Association for the Advancement of Science (BA) presentation of heritage research awards.

Archaeological excavations at Raystown, Co Meath, have also been shortlisted. The remains of more than 100 burials dating from the fifth to the 10th century have been excavated from an extensive early medieval site. Large-scale milling is indicated by the remains of at least eight watermills and six corn-drying kilns.

The third Irish project, by archaeologist Diarmuid Ó Seaneachain, uses a range of historical and archaeological evidence to reconstruct and celebrate the lives of "ordinary people" of both Gaelic Irish and British descent in west Ulster in the 16th and 17th centuries.

The winner will be announced at an awards ceremony in Trinity College Dublin on September 8th. Each finalist will give a 20-minute presentation, which will be judged by the audience and an expert panel chaired by archaeologist Julian Richards. Competitors will be judged on their ability to find engaging and accessible ways to communicate their research to a non-specialist audience.

The BA Festival of Science will take place in Dublin from September 3rd to 10th, bringing more than 300 of the UK's and Ireland's top scientists and engineers to discuss the latest developments in science with the public.