Community-led Heritage Knowledge Co-Production for Sustainable Development: Community Archaeology in Ulster and the Western Isles of Scotland

University of Ulster

For centuries the north coast of Ireland and Western Scotland were intrinsically linked by a common set of cultural traditions, language and political structures. This was a maritime province connected by short and easily navigable sea routes that had its high-water mark with the fifteenth-century Century Lordship of the Isles. This project is building a network of researchers, community groups and schools across the region to investigate and explore the shared heritage of the region and build capacity for heritage investigation and interpretation.

In the first instance we will focus our efforts on exploring late medieval linkages established by the MacDonnell family in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries and investigate a number of castles and archaeological sites associated with this period. The project includes both universities in Northern Ireland, the University of Glasgow, Kilmartin House Museum and both government heritage agencies in Scotland and Northern Ireland. We are interested in expanding the scope of the project and are interested in hearing from further groups who may have suitable projects in mind.