We were pleased to host Dr. Dirk Brandherm of Queen’s University, Belfast at the Lalor Centre on Friday 27 March 2026. The event attracted huge interest with over seventy people in attendance. This was a collaboration between West Wicklow Historical Society and Wicklow Uplands Council and was funded by Wicklow County Council. The talk featured one of the most exciting developments in Irish archaeology in recent years. Recent research arising from fieldwork conducted in 2025 at the Brusselstown Ring in County Wicklow suggests that the remarkable site may represent the largest nucleated prehistoric settlement in Ireland and Britain. Researchers also contend that the site is Ireland’s earliest proto-town, predating known Viking urban settlements by more than two millennia. The very engaged Q&A session after Dr. Brandherm’s talk reflects the enormous interest in Brusselstown Hillfort and its environs.
Dr. Brandherm of Queen’s University Belfast specialises in later prehistoric archaeology, particularly the dynamics of societal change across the Chalcolithic, Bronze and Iron Ages in Western Europe and the Mediterranean. His research incorporates scientific dating, artefact studies and archaeometric analysis. Dr. Brandherm combines broad archaeological theory with rigorous field investigation, contributing to advances in our understanding of prehistoric settlement patterns and material culture. In recent years he has played a leading role in the archaeological study of the Baltinglass hillfort cluster in County Wicklow. He and his team identified more than 600 potential house platforms at Brusselstown Ring. The research has been published in Antiquity, an international, peer-reviewed journal of world archaeology
Thank you to Dr. Brandherm for providing this talk and answering so many questions!. Thanks also to Lorna Kelly of Wicklow Uplands Council and Deirdre Burns, Heritage Officer, Wicklow County Council for making this event possible.
Photo: Dr. Dirk Brandherm at the Lalor Centre, 27 March 2026.