Abarta is delighted to be partnering with the Landscapes of Revolution Archaeology Project to undertake what we hope will be one of many new community engagement initiatives highlighting the immense potential of Ireland’s revolutionary-era archaeology.

Over the coming weeks Abarta and the Landscapes of Revolution Project will be working with the Heritage Office of Tipperary County Council to explore and map the archaeology of the 1920 Kilcommon Ambush, which took place in North Tipperary.

The Kilcommon Ambush of 16 December 1920 was one of the most significant carried out by the No. 1 (North) Tipperary IRA Brigade Flying Column during the War of Independence. Tipperary County Council have appointed the archaeologists of the Landscapes of Revolution Project from Abarta Heritage to work with local historians and the local community to examine and map the site over the summer of 2021.

The Landscapes of Revolution Project uses methodologies devised and developed over the past decade to engage communities with the archaeology of the War of Independence and Civil War, a period encompassing 1916–1923. These techniques have proved highly successful in identifying, highlighting and mapping revolutionary-era archaeology, one of Ireland’s least understood archaeological resources. The Project’s past initiatives have included work to identify and map IRA Company landscapes and major ambush and battlefield landscapes from the period.

The Kilcommon Project begins with a project inception talk, which will be held virtually at 7pm on Wednesday 21 July. You can register for the talk via eventbrite here. Or by using our Contact Page.

You can find out more and explore the Project website at www.landscapesofrevolution.com.

You can hear Dr. Damian Shiels discussing the Landscapes of Revolution Archaeology Project with Michael Brophy on Tipp FM.