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Community-led excavations on the Isle of Lismore in western Scotland have uncovered substantial archaeological evidence for Lios Mòr, an early medieval ecclesiastical centre traditionally associated with Saint Mo Luóc, also known as Moluag. The finds include a cemetery, decorated stonework, early buildings and an unusually large assemblage of evidence for metalworking. They support the site’s importance in the early Christian networks of Dál Riata—but archaeologists have not yet found the earliest church or securely mapped the full monastery enclosure.
What did Lismore residents and archaeologists find?
The project found evidence of an early medieval cemetery, fragments of decorated cross-slabs, building remains and specialist craft production. The results are reported in a 2026 Antiquity paper by Clare Ellis and colleagues, which argues that Lismore should be understood as a high-ranking ecclesiastical centre in early medieval Britain.
The work began in 2016, when the Lismore Historical Society launched investigations into the site traditionally associated with Mo Luóc’s monastery. The team first assessed remains of the later medieval cathedral, then expanded the excavation to investigate whether it stood above the earlier religious centre. Local volunteers and professional archaeologists worked together; the project was not an excavation carried out by residents alone.
A cemetery and evidence of early buildings
An in-situ burial sequence produced calibrated dates from cal AD 650–780 for the earliest dated burial to cal AD 900–1040 for the latest. These ranges date sampled burials and their contexts. They do not establish the monastery’s exact founding or end date.
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In trench T11, excavators identified an oval drystone structure approximately 8 metres in diameter, with a narrow entrance facing west. Deposits associated with it date to the eighth–tenth centuries AD. Nearby craftworking layers date to the seventh–ninth centuries AD. A rectangular building to the east has not yet been sufficiently dated or characterized.
More than 1,000 fragments of metalworking debris
The site yielded more than 1,000 fragments of non-ferrous metalworking debris, including crucibles, crucible lids and moulds. The moulds indicate casting of at least two types of penannular brooch and possibly rectangular objects such as buckles. X-ray fluorescence analysis found copper alloys were the main metals; a small number of crucibles had high silver and gold levels, evidence of precious-metal casting.
The authors describe Lismore’s assemblage of non-ferrous moulds and crucibles as the largest found to date after Dunadd. The count refers to fragments of metalworking debris, not to complete crucibles.
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Finds also include carved bone and antler pieces with fine interlace designs, yew hoops associated with stave-built vessels, rotary quern fragments, cobble tools, a mortar, a large whetstone and a pumice pebble. Some proposed uses for individual objects remain interpretations rather than confirmed functions.
Why does Lios Mòr matter?
By the late seventh century, Lismore was part of Dál Riata, a Gaelic-speaking territory and kingdom that included Argyll and most of the Hebrides, and extended across the Irish Sea into part of present-day County Antrim in Northern Ireland. The cemetery, sculpture, buildings and craft evidence place Lios Mòr within this region’s early Christian landscape and strengthen the case that it was a major ecclesiastical centre.
The site has traditionally been associated with Saint Mo Luóc, or Moluag, and a sixth-century church. The new evidence supports the significance of that tradition, but the excavated remains do not yet identify the earliest church itself. The study points to drier ground beneath the present parish church graveyard as its most likely location.
Iona offers a useful regional comparison because it is a better-known early Christian monastic site. The Lismore findings broaden understanding of the region’s ecclesiastical landscape; they do not show that the two places were identical or equally well understood archaeologically.
The paper also discusses the name “Lios Mòr” cautiously: mòr means “big,” while lios has been associated with enclosures or settlements. A possible link to an earlier ceremonial or assembly place remains an interpretation, not proof of a pre-Christian gathering site.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.What remains uncertain about the monastery?
The earliest church has not been identified
Although the evidence strengthens the case for a church associated with Mo Luóc at Lismore, the early church building itself has not been located. The proposed position beneath the present parish church graveyard is the authors’ most likely interpretation, not a confirmed identification.
The enclosure’s route and date are unresolved
The monastery’s enclosure, or vallum, is not securely defined. Geophysical surveys identified possible features, but trenches did not produce secure dating evidence for some suspected boundaries. The enclosure may have been a stone wall or a turf bank without a ditch, and its line may not follow today’s field boundaries.
The context of metalworking still needs clarification
The authors consider it likely that metalworking took place within the monastic enclosure, but a secular influence or presence is also possible, particularly given the evidence for brooch production. More excavation is needed to establish how the craft activity related to the religious centre.
How did the community project begin?
The Lismore Historical Society initiated the search in 2016, bringing together local volunteers and professional archaeologist Clare Ellis of Argyll Archaeology. Contemporary reporting says the work was supported by grants, donations, local legacies and crowdfunding. Robert Hay, a retired plant scientist who coordinated fundraising and volunteers, told The Guardian: “The most exciting moment for me was when they were doing the post-excavation analysis and they found that they had been melting gold, copper, silver, and they were making jewellery on our little island in the seventh century.”
Gordon Noble, professor of archaeology at the University of Aberdeen and a co-author of the study, called it “clearly a really important early Christian establishment.” He also described the project as a “bottom-up approach” in which a heritage society developed a plan with professional archaeologists.
Quick Recap
Sources
- Clare Ellis et al., “A major monastic centre? Rethinking Lismore’s place in the ecclesiastical landscapes of early medieval Britain,” Antiquity, published online 1 October 2026, volume 100, issue 413, pages 1330–1349. DOI: 10.15184/aqy.2026.10379. Open access under a Creative Commons Attribution licence.
- The Guardian’s report on the community-led excavation and project participants.
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