From the outset, FOODCULT pursued an ambitious programme across archives, archaeology, biomolecular science, and experimental reconstruction. Household accounts were transcribed and analysed, archaeological data were collated into a new database, biomolecular analyses were carried out on pottery, human remains, and dental calculus, and a large-scale brewing reconstruction was designed and filmed. These strands were integrated throughout, allowing evidence from texts, excavated material, scientific analysis, and creative practice to speak to one another in unprecedented ways.
The project generated major new datasets: over 20,000 archaeological records (12,000 animal bones, 2,000 plant remains, 5,000 artefacts); one of the largest multi-isotope studies in early modern Europe (94 individuals, 361 aggregated measurements from 900+ samples, including pioneering peptide and calculus analyses); and the first systematic lipid residue study of post-medieval pottery. These reveal diets to have been more nuanced than long assumed. While social distinctions existed, there were striking overlaps: Gaelic Irish and settlers often ate similar foods, and settlers adapted local practices when necessary. The datasets also make it possible to trace individual and regional dietary patterns across lifespans, providing new resolution on food and identity.
Experimental work expanded the project’s methodological reach. The brewing reconstruction combined archival research, craft practice, brewing science, microbiology, and film to recreate sixteenth-century beer. It overturned the longstanding “small beer” assumption by showing that intoxicating strengths were achievable and common, while calorific analysis highlighted beer’s role as a staple food. The reconstruction was documented in the feature-length film Drunk? Adventures in Sixteenth-Century Brewing, conceived as both research method and output, and screened internationally at conferences, heritage sites, and festivals.
Dissemination was extensive. The team delivered 63 conference and seminar papers across history, archaeology, and bioarchaeology. Publications include the monograph Food and Drink in Early Modern Ireland (Bloomsbury, 2026) and articles in leading journals such as the Historical Journal, Food & History (shortlisted for the journal’s prize; among its most-read), and the European Journal of Food, Drink and Society. Understanding Early Modern Beer (2023) reached over 8,000 readers and ranked in the top 5% of research outputs globally. Specialist studies on cereals, meat, isotopes, residues, and dental calculus are in preparation, and all project databases will be released on Zenodo with methodological overviews to ensure long-term accessibility.
Public engagement was equally wide-ranging. The project produced the film Drunk?, contributed to the redevelopment of Dublin Castle’s permanent exhibition, and created two online exhibitions. Its findings reached an estimated 1.5 million people via international media (e.g. The Times, Irish Times, Craft Beer & Brewing Magazine, RTÉ Radio 1, Times Radio UK, CKNW Canada), alongside podcasts and blogs. FOODCULT also worked closely with heritage partners including the Weald and Downland Museum (where reconstructed brewing equipment remains in use) and the Medieval Mile Museum in Kilkenny (where isotope results inform a new exhibition). Collaborations with commercial partners such as Warminster Maltings and Canvas Brewery integrated historically authentic materials into research while also feeding back into heritage interpretation, biodiversity, and sustainable brewing practice.
