Events & Projects
Beneath Our Feet: Art & Archaeology Exhibition
20th September – 8th October 2025, St Peter’s North Main Street
As part of Culture Night 2025, the Lord Mayor of Cork, Councillor Fergal Dennehy, launched the exhibition at St Peter’s.
On opening the exhibition, the Lord Mayor of Cork said “I believe this exhibition greatly demonstrates why we need to protect and record our archaeological heritage but most importantly why it is so necessary to make the information publicly accessible. It is hoped that this project will show the importance of diversifying traditional archaeological public engagement too. The intention is to enhance and enrich the sense of place by directly engaging and informing the local community about their history and archaeology by presenting materials visually and imaginatively”.
In the winter of 2021-22 a team of archaeologists, under the direction of Avril Purcell of Lane Purcell Archaeology, excavated a large site, 92-96 North Main Street, in the heart of medieval Cork city.
The site is a valuable window on the lives of medieval Cork people, offering evidence of everyday life and activities, as well as indicators of the wider environmental conditions from the 12th to the 14th centuries and beyond. A total of twelve identifiable buildings including stake-built, post and wattle and sill-beam timber houses, were recorded. These wood remains survived due to the waterlogged conditions of the lower levels of the site.
92 -96 North Main Street: Excavation and construction in tandem
In 2024, Cork City Council Archaeologist Ciara Brett and the artist and archaeologist John Sunderland received Creative Ireland Funding to undertake a project which would interpret the archaeology at the site at North Main Street through visual arts.
Ciara Brett, Cork City Council Archaeologist:
We know that archaeology interests the Cork public, but due to the rescue nature of the projects we engage in, they are rarely able to interact with the material and outcomes directly. By engaging with artists, some of whom have archaeological experience, we have interpreted these narratives of excavation, discovery and imaginings the past, telling both our own stories and the stories of Cork’s history.
The exhibition brought information gained from the excavation to the wider Cork public in engaging and imaginative ways that investigated and interpreted the findings of the excavation through the dual lenses of archaeology and art.
Glass relief panel by John Sunderland
The following artists and scientists presented their work.
- Sara Baume – Artist and writer
- John Sunderland – Mixed media visual artist and archaeologist
- Matt Durran – Artist working with glass and ceramics
- Penny Johnston – Archaeobotanist, research scientist and oral historian
- Eva Kourela – Entomologist, PhD researcher and illustrator
Artworks included an installation of painted boards in the rough form of a winged altarpiece by Sara Baume; sculptural pieces by Matt Durran; drawings using sediments from the site as pigment and glass relief panels by John Sunderland, as well as photographs and maps from the site, pressed flora, insect drawings, a sensitively assembled installation of bracken and bone, recordings of oral histories and a programme of talks.
Irish Walled Towns Network
Cork City Council is a member of the Irish Walled Towns Network (IWTN). This Network, which currently has 29 members, was established by the Heritage Council, to unite and co-ordinate the strategic efforts of local authorities involved in the management, conservation and enhancement of historic walled towns. The Irish Walled Towns Network seeks to ensure that Ireland’s unique cultural and archaeological heritage in relation to its walled and fortified towns and cities is protected and managed in a sustainable and appropriate manner in the long-term. The IWTN is also formally linked to the International Walled Towns Friendship Circle whose members include Chester in England and Dubrovnik in Croatia.
Medieval Day
Medieval Day is a fun family event which has been held as part of Heritage Week which takes place the last week in August each year. It celebrates Cork City’s medieval past with historical re-enactments and displays of weaponry, pottery and household items. Visitors have the opportunity to become an archaeologist for a day by visiting the archaeology roadshow which includes a dig-in-a-box and a dig-a-viking-warrior. Learn all about Cork’s medieval and 17th military history.