Archaeologists have revealed new evidence about the earliest farming communities in the west of Ireland.
During excavations at a prehistoric site, archaeologists rediscovered a ‘lost’ neolithic tomb and located a second, previously unidentified, tomb.
The discoveries have been made as part of the University of Galway research project, MAREE – Land Use Through Time, which is exploring how people lived and used the landscape in the area over thousands of years.
Researchers believe the site represents the only known example in Ireland where a court tomb and a portal tomb are found together, offering important new evidence about the people who built them during the early neolithic period who were the first farmers in this part of the world.
Neolithic tombs
Court tombs were burial monuments with an open area or ‘court’ where ritual and ceremonial activities took place, while portal tombs were stone-built burial chambers marked by a large capstone.
The court tomb at Prospecthill, Maree, which was once thought destroyed, has been uncovered by the archaeological excavations this summer. It is one of the southernmost examples of this type of tomb and one of the largest discovered, at approximately 30m in length.
Beside the court tomb, the remains of a large portal tomb have also been discovered, with its impressive capstone measuring almost 4m in length and 1m thick, weighing an estimated 14 tonnes.
A large bedrock pit in which the portal tomb was originally constructed was also found. This enabled the exceptional preservation of the original burial deposits, providing a rare opportunity to investigate evidence from the monument’s earliest use.
Other discoveries included stone tools, prehistoric pottery, cremated bone and a rare small amethyst pendant from the portal tomb.
Despite their names, both tombs represent much more than just places of burial. They were the focus of communal gatherings and rituals, some of which involved human remains and ancestral interaction.
Golden opportunity
“The chance to find and excavate sites like these within the area of our larger research project provides a golden opportunity to locate and attempt to understand the first farmers of this place,” project co-lead and lecturer in archaeology at University of Galway Dr Michelle Comber commented.
The latest discoveries build on the project’s first excavation season in 2025, when archaeologists confirmed Rathgurreen ringfort as a high-status early medieval settlement occupied by rulers and nobles. That excavation uncovered links to trade and contact extending to Rome, Scotland, France and Scandinavia.
The excavation is being carried out by researchers and students from University of Galway, alongside community volunteers, and hosted by the local landowner the Burke family, with support from the Royal Irish Academy and survey work by the Discovery Programme, the national archaeological research body supported by the Heritage Council.