Lismore digs uncover sixth‑century monastery remains

Super pleased to see this out (and open access!). Moluag was clearly an important figure in Pictland, here we got to help the team who made such important discoveries at Moluag's monastery get the word on the street about the importance of Lismore and the new findings! tinyurl.com/5cb9vf3p

'What the islanders discovered were extensive burial grounds, decorated stonework and early buildings – all the features belonging to a major sixth-century monastery, comparable to the much better known site of Iona a little to the south-west.'

‘Hugely exciting’ finds on tiny Scottish island shed light on spread of Christianity www.theguardian.com/science/2026...

⛪️ Lost Early Medieval Monastery Found on Scottish Island 📰 Dr Tom's Early Medieval Newsletter Read the paper in @antiquity.ac.uk from 10am, UK time! drtomhornearchaeology.substack.com/p/lost-early...

Not the Anglo-Cymric borderland, but a great example of community archaeology and the power of excavation in revealing forgotten elements of the past

Lovely to see early Xtian archaeology from Scotland in the news! OK so it's the usual tale of missionaries from Ireland, and the 6th century is only a tiny part of the site's history, but baby steps. Hooray for a community-run project making a real difference for Lismore, and real academic impact

SOCIETY-FUNDED RESEARCH: St Moulag Monastery, Isle of Lismore Find out how grants from the Society helped to support two seasons of community excavation on the island of Lismore as part of a project which is 'establishing the national importance of the site': www.socantscot.org/society-fund...

The residents of Lismore have raised the funds to support community excavations that shed light on the early Christian monastery on the island founded by St Moluag. Their remarkable archaeological discoveries are rewriting the history of this part of Scotland 👇 www.theguardian.com/science/2026...

Island with population of 190, no pub (but a community centre) get together and contribute to human understanding. https://www.theguardian.com/science/2026/oct/01/lismore-archaeological-finds-scottish-island-monastery-spread-of-christianity?CMP=Share_iOSApp_Other

"A search for the site of Mo Luóc’s monastery was launched by the Lismore Historical Society in 2016." Clare Ellis, Angela Boyle, et al. A major monastic centre? Rethinking Lismore’s place in the ecclesiastical landscapes of early medieval Britain. Antiquity, 2026. www.cambridge.org/core/journal...

Des fouilles archéologiques financées par la commnuauté de la petite île de Lismore en Écosse, sur le site d'un monastère du VIe siècle, mènent à des découvertes intéressantes sur l'essor du christianisme dans la région www.theguardian.com/science/2026...

Indiana Jones is screaming, "It belongs in a museum!" Seriously, though. Excavating a sixth century Scottish monastery in the Hebrides is, for me, exciting stuff to read about. www.theguardian.com/science/2026...

‘The finds have shown that rather than being a small island church in an overlooked backwater, the monastery of Lios Mór, founded by Saint Mo Luóc or Moluag (in the sixth century), was a high-ranking site of international importance’.

Archaeological finds on Lismore reveal a major sixth-century monastery #GoodNews #UK #ArgyllAndBute

Reminder how partial recorded history can be: local enthusiasts bring up records of infrastructure and activities on a par with famous #Iona https://www.theguardian.com/science/2026/oct/01/lismore-archaeological-finds-scottish-island-monastery-spread-of-christianity