With Boundaries as our 2026 Festival theme, Professor Gabriel Cooney will consider the ultimate boundary - that between life and death. His talk at the Festival in August will be focused on the boundary between life and death in prehistoric Ireland, a subject he explored in his book published in 2023 by the Royal Irish Academy.

Gabriel is Emeritus Professor of Celtic Archaeology, School of Archaeology, University College Dublin. He is a member of the Royal Irish Academy. His research interests focus on the Neolithic, particularly the use of stone, and on mortuary practices in prehistory. Books include Death in Irish Prehistory (2023) and Landscapes of Neolithic Ireland (2000). Gabriel was the founding editor of Archaeology Ireland. He is an expert member of the ICOMOS (International Council on Monuments and Sites) International Committee on Archaeological Heritage Management. In 2021 he was awarded an honorary OBE in recognition of service to heritage in Northern Ireland.

Tickets for Professor Cooney's talk and all the others in our fantastic 2026 programme available here.