'Rare' Neolithic tombs uncovered in Co Galway
skip to main content
Your browser does not support Javascript. Please turn Javascript on to get the best experience from rte.ie
Weather
Login
Discover<br>Discover
RTÉ Games
RTÉ Archives
RTÉ Brainstorm
History
Gaeilge
RTÉ Learn
Food
RTÉ Food
RTÉ Recipes
Watch<br>Watch
RTÉ Player
TV
RTÉ One
RTÉ2
RTÉ News
RTÉjr
Listen<br>Listen
Radio
Podcasts
RTÉ Radio 1
RTÉ 2FM
RTÉ lyric fm
RTÉ Raidió na Gaeltachta
Services<br>Services
Orchestra
RTÉ Weather
Century Ireland
Kids<br>Kids
RTÉ Kids
RTÉ Learn
Help<br>Help
Contact
Feedback
Accessibility
Complaints
Terms & Conditions
Individual Rights Guide
Privacy Policy
Cookie Policy
Freedom of Information
Helplines
Information<br>Information
About RTÉ
TV Licence
Vacancies
Latest Annual Report
Advertise with RTÉ
2rn
Saorview
Newsletters
RTÉ Supporting the Arts
Policies and Reports
See all results
Updated / Sunday, 26 Jul 2026<br>12:37
Dr Michelle Comber and Dr Noel McCarthy, co-directors of the Maree Project, next to the newly uncovered megalithic capstone of the portal tomb at Maree
The rediscovery of a prehistoric tomb in Co Galway has led to the unearthing of another tomb next to it, hinting at the "complexity" of the culture of Ireland's first farming communities.
Researchers believe the site in the Maree area represents the only known example in Ireland where two different types of megalithic tombs are located together – one for rituals and the other for burials.
Archaeologists from the University of Galway said the discovery provides new insight into the traditions and beliefs of the first farmers who lived in the Galway area almost 6,000 years ago.
The site dates from the early Neolithic period, which marks the end of the Stone Age and the beginning of when humans began to farm and form settled communities.
The excavation site at Prospecthill, Co Galway, with the portal tomb capstone in the foreground and the outline of the court tomb behind
The Maree site features a court tomb, a burial monument with an open area where rituals or ceremonial activities took place, and a portal tomb, a stone-built burial chamber marked by a large capstone.
A small amethyst pendant found in the newly discovered portal tomb on Thursday is said to be unlike anything else discovered at similar sites across Ireland.
The tombs were used for communal gatherings and rituals, some of which involved human remains and efforts to interact with ancestors.
Researchers said the discovery of the two monument types side-by-side provides a "rare" chance to examine different approaches to burial, ritual and monument building during the Stone Age in Ireland.
They said it suggested a sizable community lived in the area who came together to build the monuments as part of their beliefs.
Project co-lead Dr Michelle Comber said the chance to find and excavate such sites raised new questions about traditions at the time.
"(It) provides a golden opportunity to locate – and attempt to understand – the first farmers of this place," the lecturer in Archaeology at University of Galway said.
"Working here with colleagues, students, and community members, playing a part in such important discoveries, is thrilling both professionally and personally.
An amethyst pendant, found during the excavation at Maree
"The size and scale of the tombs, and the effort required to construct them, reflect a sizeable community living in and farming this part of coastal Galway.
"Their location right next to each other represents a meeting of two traditions, raising new questions about the nature of that interaction."
Project co-lead Dr Noel McCarthy said the opportunity to investigate such a site was "not something that occurs very often".
"Discovering the second monument has added a layer of complexity that informs our understanding of culture and society in the Neolithic period and beyond," the archaeology lecturer at the University of Galway said.
"Whole communities came together to create these monuments in what must have been great displays of group identity and religious expression."
The court tomb at Prospecthill, Maree, was rediscovered during University of Galway archaeological excavations this summer.
At approximately 30 metres long, it is one of the largest tombs of its type to have been discovered.
The remains of a large portal tomb were then discovered beside the court tomb, previously unrecorded as a burial monument.
Its "impressive" capstone measures almost four metres in length and one metre deep, weighing an estimated 14 tonnes.
The University of Galway said the archaeologists also identified a large bedrock pit in which the portal tomb was originally constructed.
The excavation at Prospecthill megalithic tombs, Co Galway
It said: "This enabled the exceptional preservation of the original burial deposits, providing a rare opportunity to investigate evidence from the monument’s earliest use, offering fresh insights...