Céide Fields - older than the great pyramids of Egypt

IT is 27 years this week since the Céide Fields Visitor Centre was officially opened, offering the public a 5,000 years glance into the past where the remains of a Stone Age landscape was discovered in the 1930s in Belderrig in north Mayo, writes Tom Gillespie.

Local schoolteacher Patrick Caulfield, father of Professor Seamus Caulfield, often noticed piles of stones in the bottom of the bog when cutting his turf.

To everybody else these were meaningless but he realised two very important points - firstly, the way the stones were piled up couldn’t be natural so somebody had to put them there, and, secondly, because they were down underneath the peat they had to be put there prior to the growth of the bog and so must be very ancient.

It was, however, to be another 40 years, and only when his son Seamus became an archaeologist and began studying these stones in the bogs, that it was realised what they were all about.

It is now known that these are the remains of a Stone Age landscape of stone walled fields, houses and megalithic tombs, dating back before the time of the pyramids of Egypt.

The continuing research, involving the location and mapping of these hidden walls by a specially developed simple and completely non-destructive method of probing with iron rods, and the excavation of habitation sites and tombs, is yielding a unique picture of the way of life of our ancestors 200 generations ago.

Here was a highly organised, largely peaceful community of farmers who worked together on clearing hundreds of acres of forestry and dividing the land into regular field systems. Their main economy was cattle rearing but they were skilled craftspeople and builders in both wood and stone and also had strong spiritual beliefs.

In 1989 a project was launched by Dr. Caulfield and Prof. Martin Downes along with a local committee to build a centre at Céide which would use the results of the research as an economic resource by attracting tourists to the area.

The following year the Office of Public Works (OPW) became involved and designed the award-winning centre which was opened to the public in May 1993. The Céide Fields is one of over 60 heritage sites run by the Office of OPW in Ireland.

The centre not only presents the archaeology of the site but also the botany, bogs and geology of the area. It is located beside spectacular 370 foot high cliffs, five miles west of Ballycastle.

Visitors to the centre can enjoy an audio-visual show as well as the exhibitions inside, including a magnificent 4,300-year-old Scots Pine tree which dominates the centre of the building.

I recall when I attended the opening of the centre the voice-over for the audio-visual presentation was done by the late Mick Lally, a native of Tourmakeady.

A panoramic viewing platform both inside and outside on the roof of the glass-topped pyramid shaped building affords dramatic views of sea and land.

Guided tours along pathways on the bog bring visitors around one of the stone walled fields, a domestic enclosure and an animal pen. The technique of probing for the hidden walls is demonstrated and people are welcome to try it for themselves and experience the thrill of finding and feeling a stone wall which has been hidden underneath the peat for over 5,000 years.

The diverse flora of the bog can be seen, including mosses, lichens, heathers, sedges and insect-eating sundews, and in early summer the bog is a carpet of colour from flowering milkworts, tormentils, orchids, bog cotton and other plants.

Experience the unique ecology of the bogland, with its colourful mosses, sedges, lichens, heathers and flowers while listening to the larks.

Find out the fascinating story of an ever-changing landscape, such as why bogs grow and the huge influence a subtle change in climate can bring about.

In March 2018 the Céide Fields, on the Wild Atlantic Way, was awarded the prestigious Carlo Scarpa International landscape award for gardens.

Each year the Carlo Scarpa Prize for Gardens is awarded to attract attention to a site which is particularly rich in natural, historical and creative values.

The award is a very prestigious accolade and was accompanied by an exhibition in Treviso, a book, and a TV documentary which forms part of an awareness campaign, which is fundamental element of the prize.

The Céide Fields were honoured in the award scheme because of the way the natural landscape is used at the site.

The judges cited the experience of the Céide Fields walking tour as one of the highlights, with the visitor centre guides, who bring the site to life by helping visitors to imagine walking in the steps of our ancestors from 5,000 years ago.

The many facilities at the centre include displays and exhibitions in English and Irish with written translations available in Dutch, French, German, Italian, Polish and Spanish; the 20-minute long audio-visual show; guided walking tours of the site lasting between 45 and 60 minutes. As the tour is outdoors on uneven and sometimes wet terrain visitors are advised to wear weather protective clothing and appropriate footwear.

Afterwards you can enjoy homemade cakes, scones, soup, sandwiches, etcetera, in the tearoom.

The centre, now closed because of the Covid-19 crisis, is usually open from Easter to October, and will reopen in due course.