H|A|R|P

Hermitage Archaeological Research Project

Hermitage is a unique site within Irish Prehistory. 9,300 years ago, on a high bluff overlooking the River Shannon, groups of Mesolithic hunter-gatherers congregated to cremate, bury and remember deceased members of their community in a very special way. These are the oldest recorded burials in Ireland, containing evidence for a complex set of funerary traditions which involved advanced pyrotechnology, the ritualised treatment of everyday objects and the building of grave markers.

H|A|R|P was founded in 2017 to build upon the fieldwork undertaken by AEGIS Archaeology at Hermitage, Castleconnell (Co. Limerick, IE). Thanks to University of York Culture and Communication Seed funding and a recent grant awarded by the Royal Irish Academy, a new survey project is being undertaken to understand the landscape context of these burials.

You can follow the H|A|R|P team's progress through this website, which contains links to publications and details of past as well as upcoming events: bringing the story of Hermitage to the public and archaeological research community.