A Research project that was funded under the 2018 Laureate Consolidator scheme will be featured in a major public history documentary series; ‘From that Small Island – The Story of the Irish’. The Documentary is premiering on RTÉ One this Sunday 8th June at 6:30pm. The series will be narrated by Colin Farrell, and bring to life the extraordinary story of the Irish people, from the island’s very first inhabitants to the global diaspora that now numbers over 80 million people.
The research project, titled ‘Passage Tomb People’, was led by Dr. Jessica Smyth, Associate Professor at the UCD School of Archaeology. The project aimed to:
- Understand the resource bases behind the construction of passage tombs by analysing animal exploitation and consumption across Ireland, North Wales, and Orkney.
- Explore social connectivity by studying human and animal mobility and comparing cultural practices across these regions.
Dr. Smyth’s work has significantly reshaped our understanding of early farming communities, showing that passage tombs were not solely elite burial sites but part of broader communal and ritual practices involving seasonal gatherings, mobility, and shared ancestry.