28/07/2026
Fantastic discovery by our colleagues Dr. Michelle Comber and Dr. Noel McCarthy 👇
Archaeologists have rediscovered a ‘lost’ Neolithic tomb and located a second, previously unidentified, tomb during excavations at a prehistoric site revealing new evidence about the earliest farming communities in the west of Ireland.
Led by Dr Michelle Comber and Dr Noel McCarthy of the Discipline of Archaeology at University of Galway, the excavation in the Maree area of Co Galway has revealed two different types of megalithic tombs dating back almost 6,000 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 - the first farmers in this part of the world.
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 funding from the National Monuments Service via a Royal Irish Academy Archaeological Research Excavation Grant (2026), and survey work supported by the Discovery Programme, the national archaeological research body supported by the The Heritage CouncillNational Monuments Service - Archaeology
Read more here: https://www.universityofgalway.ie/about-us/news-and-events/
Image: Dr Michelle Comber and Dr Noel McCarthy, co-directors of the Maree Project, next to the newly uncovered megalithic capstone of the portal tomb. Credit – Andrew Downes, Xposure
The Heritage Council | The Royal Irish Academy | Discovery Programme
