SCC Archives

A major archaeological study leads this week’s news. Evidence from Lismore is changing how historians understand an important early Christian centre—and showing what community archaeology can achieve.

Archaeology Restores Lismore to Scotland’s Early Christian Story

A peer-reviewed study published on October 1 identifies Lios Mòr, or Lismore, as a wealthy and influential early medieval monastic centre.

The monastery was traditionally founded by St Moluag, or Mo Luóc, during the sixth century. Written references and local traditions supported its existence, but archaeologists had found little physical evidence showing its size or importance.

That changed after the Lismore Historical Society began a community-led investigation in 2016. Excavation and geophysical survey around the later medieval cathedral uncovered an enclosed cemetery, fragments of carved crosses, early buildings and a large craftworking area. Antiquity Journal

Radiocarbon dates place several burials between approximately AD 650 and 1040. Archaeologists also recovered more than 1,000 pieces of metalworking debris. These included crucibles and moulds used to produce brooches and other objects. Testing detected copper alloys, silver and gold.

Carved bone “motif pieces” may have helped craftspeople prepare designs for decorated metalwork. Waterlogged soil also preserved pieces of yew containers and other organic material that normally disappears.

The findings support the conclusion that Lismore was a major religious, artistic and economic centre within Dál Riata. However, the researchers are careful about the limits of the evidence. They have not yet found a structure that can be securely dated to St Moluag’s lifetime in the sixth century. Cambridge Core

The discovery has special importance for Clan MacLea (Livingstone). Lismore is the clan’s ancestral island, and its chief is traditionally the hereditary keeper of the Bachuil Mòr, the pastoral staff associated with St Moluag. the Highland Livingstones

The project also shows the value of overseas clan support. Funding came partly from the Clan MacDougall Society of America and the MacDougall McCallum Foundation in the United States. Cambridge Core

Sources: Read the open-access research paper and Society of Antiquaries of Scotland project summary

Full citation: Ellis, C., Boyle, A., Cruickshanks, G., Evans, N., Hay, R., Masson-MacLean, E., Wright, J., & Noble, G. (2026). A major monastic centre? Rethinking Lismore’s place in the ecclesiastical landscapes of early medieval Britain. Antiquity, 100(413), 1330–1349. https://doi.org/10.15184/aqy.2026.10379

New Book Reconsiders Jacobite Strathspey

Frank D. Bardgett’s Presbyterian Strathspey in the Jacobite Era was released by Edinburgh University Press on September 30.

The 232-page study examines Strathspey between 1689 and 1746. It combines parish and church records with the political and military history of the Jacobite period.

Bardgett challenges the simple idea that Presbyterian influence was weak north of the River Tay. He argues that the Presbyterian settlement was partly imposed through landowners and political authority but also developed through contact with local communities.

The book is especially useful for research involving Clan Grant, the lairds of Grant and the earls of Seafield. It examines how religion, kinship, estate power and political loyalty interacted rather than assuming that everyone in a clan district held the same beliefs. JSTOR

Full citation: Bardgett, F. D. (2026). Presbyterian Strathspey in the Jacobite era. Edinburgh University Press. ISBN 978-1-3995-6318-5.

Publisher information

£1 Million Fund Opens for Historic Places of Worship

Historic Environment Scotland opened a £1 million conservation fund on October 1.

The pilot program will help listed places of worship meet VAT costs connected with essential repairs. It is open to buildings used by all faiths and denominations. Eligible applications will be considered on a first-come, first-served basis until March 2027. Historic Environment Scotland

Historic kirks are important to clan and genealogy research because they may contain gravestones, memorials, burial vaults and links to surviving parish records. Their preservation protects both physical evidence and the settings in which many family events occurred.

Scotland’s Places of Worship Fund

Fergus Festival Gives Back to Its Ontario Community

The Fergus Scottish Festival and Highland Games announced that its 2026 event raised $21,252.50 for 13 community organizations.

The August festival relied on 247 volunteers, who contributed more than 900 hours. The beneficiaries include food, youth, sport, arts and community groups in Centre Wellington. The announcement was released on September 28 and reported more widely on September 30. Grand 101.1 FM

This is a useful reminder that overseas Highland games are not simply performances of Scottish identity. They can also create strong volunteer networks and provide direct support to the places where Scottish communities now live.

Festival donation report
Fergus Scottish Festival

New Exhibition Examines Scotland’s Imperial Connections

Traces of Empire opens at Summerlee Museum in Coatbridge on October 3.

The exhibition follows a Historic Environment Scotland study which found that 126 of the 336 properties then in its care had connections with the British Empire. Thirty-four community co-curators helped create the new exhibition through art, poetry and family stories. Historic Environment Scotland

Exhibition information

Useful Research Resource: Download the Lismore Study

The new Antiquity article is free to read. It includes excavation plans, radiocarbon results, photographs of finds and a substantial bibliography.

For publishing research, pay close attention to the authors’ wording. They describe the evidence for a major seventh- to tenth-century centre as strong, while treating the exact location of St Moluag’s sixth-century church as unconfirmed. That distinction is a model for responsible historical writing.