COUNTY MAYO - CEIDE FIELDS


The Céide Fields in North Mayo will certainly give you a unique experience. For this is not just another archaeological monument or visitor center. Here you can indulge yourself in a vast prehistoric landscape, a natural wild ecology of blanket bog, dramatic cliffs and coastline, and a much acclaimed building, which has received Ireland`s most prestigious architectural award.

The Céide Fields (Irish: Achaidh Chéide, meaning `flat topped hill fields`) is an archaeological site on the north County Mayo coast, about 5 miles northwest of Ballycastle. Beneath the wild boglands of North Mayo lies the Céide Fields, the most extensive Stone Age monument in the world, consisting of field systems, dwelling areas and megalithic tombs. The stone walled fields, extending over thousands of acres are almost 6,000 years old, the oldest known in the world. They are covered by a natural blanket bog with its own unique vegetation and wildlife.

The Céide Fields comprises a Neolithic landscape consisting of megalithic burial monuments, dwelling houses and enclosures within an integrated system of stone walls defining fields, which are spread over 12 kmĀ² of north Mayo. Many of the features are preserved intact beneath blanket peat that is over 4m deep in places. The significance of the site lies in the fact that it is the most extensive Stone Age monument in the world and the oldest enclosed landscape in Europe. The blanket bog landscape is of immense importance for its natural habitat value as well as for its illustration of environmental and climate history.

The Céide Fields were constructed around 5,700 years ago by Neolithic farmers. This post-glacial landscape was dominated by woodlands, grasslands and heaths in a climate that was relatively warm and dry. They show a countryside that was systematically divided into regular coaxial field systems bounded by dry stone walls. On the Céide hill a series of parallel walls over a mile long divide the land into long strips, varying from 300 to 500 feet wide. To the west of the Céide Fields Visitor Center these walls seem initially to follow the contour of the Behy valley and then continue over the spur of the hill onto the eastern Glenulra side merging with a second similar parallel system following the alignment of the Glenulra valley. This continues further eastwards onto the next hillside. The width of each strip remains remarkably consistent, despite `meanders` in the walls. Each strip of land was subdivided by `cross walls` into rectangular fields, up to several hectares in size. Further to the north East of Glenulra in Doonfeeny and Ballyknock and to the east the layout of the fields is not as regular.

Within the area of the actual fields there are five court tombs. Behy is a fine example of a transeptal chambered tomb with drystone court that was excavated in the 1960s. Two tombs are located at Glenulra and one apiece at Sralagagh and Aghoo. Immediately outside the fields area, located in modern farmland are a further six tombs. There are two unclassified but possible court tombs in Glenulra, two portal tombs in Ballyknock and two court tombs in Ballyglass (both excavated and one is a fine example of a central court tomb which had evidence of a substantial rectangular dwelling house beneath it). It is likely these were also originally surrounded by fields but the lack of blanket peat means that they have not survived.

There are several dwelling sites associated with the fields also. When excavated, an oval shaped stonewalled enclosure in Glenulra (adjacent to the Visitor Center) was revealed to have surrounded a round house of wood. At least 11 other similar enclosures throughout the field systems are presumed also to have been dwelling areas, indicating a pattern of dispersed settlement. Nearby a small egg-shaped structure attached to a field wall may have been used as an animal pen, and other excavations have revealed various features and artifacts. There is also a high probability that many other individual structures remain undiscovered beneath the deeper peat.

Visitor Center

The Céide Fields Visitor Center is one of over 60 Heritage Sites run by the Office of Public Works (OPW) in Ireland. Heritage Cards are available which give unlimited free admission to all OPW sites for one year from the date of purchase.

Visit the multi-award winning Center, which has exhibitions, audio-visual show and tearooms and take a guided tour and discover a buried wall for yourself using a centuries old method of probing. Experience the unique ecology of the bogland, with its colorful mosses, sedges, lichens, heathers, flowers and insect-eating sundews 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.

The Visitor Center has won several awards, including the Gold Medal for architecture. It is located beside some of the most spectacular cliffs and rock formations in Ireland and a viewing platform is positioned on the edge of the 350 foot high cliff. Displays and exhibitions in English and Irish with written translations available in Dutch, French, German, Italian, Polish and Spanish

Visitors are advised to wear weather protective clothing and footwear suitable for walking on uneven terrain.


Opening Times
Open from Easter to October 29th annually
Daily 10 am - 6 pm June to Sept
Daily 10 am - 5 pm other months