When he returned he was selected to work on the Harvard Archaeological Mission to Ireland with Hugh O'Neill Hencken to improve his field-work skills.
[2][3] Raftery joined the staff of the National Museum of Ireland (NMI) in 1939, and was promoted to acting keeper of Irish antiquities in 1945 after Adolf Mahr left the position.
Throughout his career, and into retirement, Raftery published widely on subjects such as the long stone-cist burials of the Irish Iron Age, Viking era silver, and a number of gold hoards.
[1] Notably, Raftery disagreed with the 1979 decision by the Irish High Court to rule the Wood Quay site in Dublin a national monument.
[4] Raftery also served on a number of professional and scholarly bodies, including as president of the Royal Society of Antiquaries of Ireland.