Bronze Age Monuments Discovered Achill Island Mayo
- A significant Bronze Age stone alignment has been discovered in Cloghmore townland, on Achill island (Oileán Acla) in County Mayo, ireland.
- The discovery was made during an archaeological field trip led by archaeologist Michael Gibbons, with students from the University of Notre Dame in Indiana, who are studying at...
- The site consists of two upright standing stones, with a third lying collapsed nearby.
Bronze Age Stone Alignment Unearthed on Achill Island After Storm Damage
Discovery on Oileán Acla Reveals rare Ritual Monument
A significant Bronze Age stone alignment has been discovered in Cloghmore townland, on Achill island (Oileán Acla) in County Mayo, ireland. The site, previously obscured by dense trees, was revealed after those trees were felled by Storm Éowyn earlier this year. Archaeologists are calling it a rare find for the island, offering new insights into prehistoric ritual practices.
The discovery was made during an archaeological field trip led by archaeologist Michael Gibbons, with students from the University of Notre Dame in Indiana, who are studying at the University of Galway and Kylemore Abbey. A subsequent group from Notre Dame visited the site this week to observe the findings firsthand.
Details of the Cloghmore Stone Alignment
The site consists of two upright standing stones, with a third lying collapsed nearby. The largest stone measures over 2.4 meters (approximately 7.9 feet) in height. Local tradition suggests the stone may have given its name to the townland, An Cloch Mór, meaning “the big stone” in Irish.
while Achill Island is known for its wealth of prehistoric monuments and forts,this stone alignment represents a less common type of Bronze Age ritual site on the island. stone alignments, though not extensively excavated, are frequently enough associated with burial locations.
Potential Meaning and Archaeological Context
Archaeological evidence suggests that similar stone alignments sometimes mark burial locations, containing three-thousand-year-old cremation burials within pottery vessels. Gibbons notes the Cloghmore site is aligned North-South, hinting at a possible astronomical significance. This alignment could have been used to track solstices or other celestial events,integral to Bronze Age belief systems.
The Bronze Age in Ireland (roughly 2300-800 BC) was a period of significant societal and technological change, marked by the introduction of metalworking - specifically bronze – and the development of more complex social structures. Ritual sites like this one provide valuable clues about the religious beliefs and practices of the people who lived during this time.
The Role of Storm Éowyn and Local Knowledge
Storm Éowyn, which impacted Ireland in January 2024, played a crucial role in revealing the Cloghmore site. the storm’s strong winds uprooted and flattened the trees that had concealed the stones for generations. This highlights the unpredictable nature of archaeological discovery, where natural events