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Provided by the author(s) and University College Dublin Library in accordance with publisher policies. Please cite the published version when available. Title Excavations on Céide Hill, Behy & Glenulra, North Co. Mayo, 1963-1994 Authors(s) Caulfield, Seamus; Byrne, Gretta; Dunne, Noel; Warren, Graeme; O'Donnell, Lorna; et al. Publication date 2011-12 Publisher UCD School of Archaeology and the Irish Strategic Archaeological Research Programme (INSTAR) Item record/more information http://hdl.handle.net/10197/6407 Downloaded 2021-10-11T03:13:59Z The UCD community has made this article openly available. Please share how this access benefits you. Your story matters! (@ucd_oa) © Some rights reserved. For more information, please see the item record link above. Excavations on Céide Hill, Behy & Glenulra, North Co. Mayo, 1963-1994 Edited by Seamas Caulfield, Gretta Byrne, Noel Dunne and Graeme Warren www.ucd.ie/archaeology/nbnm2011 INSTAR2 Excavations on Céide Hill, Behy & Glenulra, North Co. Mayo, 1963-1994 Seamas Caulfield, Gretta Byrne, Noel Dunne and Graeme Warren With substantial contributions by Seán Ó Nuallaín and Madeline Murray And specialist reports from Killian Driscoll, Linda Fibiger, Meriel McClatchie, Lorna O’Donnell and Helen Roche GIS managed by Emmett O’Keeffe December 2011 i Table of contents Introduction, by Graeme Warren ................................................................... 1 Excavations at Behy Court Tomb, 1963-64 & 1969 by Seán Ó Nualláin, Madeline Murray and Graeme Warren ......................................................... 5 Introduction ............................................................................................................................................ 5 Background to site & methodology ........................................................................................................ 5 Results ................................................................................................................................................... 10 Artefacts and Ecofacts .......................................................................................................................... 28 Discussion.............................................................................................................................................. 49 Excavations at the Glenulra Enclosure 1970-1972, by Seamas Caulfield and Graeme Warren ........................................................................................... 52 Introduction .......................................................................................................................................... 52 Results ................................................................................................................................................... 55 Artefacts and Ecofacts .......................................................................................................................... 61 Discussion.............................................................................................................................................. 70 Overview ............................................................................................................................................... 73 Excavations at the Céide Fields Visitor Centre 1989-1994, by Gretta Byrne, Noel Dunne and Graeme Warren ................................................................. 74 Introduction .......................................................................................................................................... 74 Background ........................................................................................................................................... 74 Results ................................................................................................................................................... 77 Artefacts and Ecofacts ........................................................................................................................ 100 Radiocarbon dates .............................................................................................................................. 129 Discussion............................................................................................................................................ 130 ii The Chronological Development of the Céide Hill Landscape in Prehistory, by Graeme Warren, Seamas Caulfield, Gretta Byrne and Noel Dunne ............. 132 Introduction ........................................................................................................................................ 132 The Mesolithic/Neolithic (C4300 – 3800/3700 cal BC) ....................................................................... 136 The Early Neolithic (c 3800/3700 – 3600/3500 cal BC) and the start of the Middle Neolithic (c3600/3500 – c 3400/3300 cal BC) .................................................................................................... 136 The later parts of the Middle Neolithic 3400 – 3100 cal BC/The closing centuries of the fourth millennium .......................................................................................................................................... 138 The Late Neolithic: 3100 – 2500 cal BC ............................................................................................... 138 The Early Bronze Age 2500 – 1700 cal BC ........................................................................................... 138 Middle Bronze Age, c 1700 – 1000 cal BC ........................................................................................... 139 Late Bronze Age/Iron Age: 1000 – 600/600 - 0 cal BC ........................................................................ 139 Discussion............................................................................................................................................ 139 References ................................................................................................. 141 Appendix One: Lithic terminology .............................................................. 144 Appendix Two: Ceramics Catalogue: Behy ................................................. 146 Early Neolithic Carinated Bowls .......................................................................................................... 146 Appendix Three: Ceramic Catalogue: Glenulra Enclosure ........................... 148 Appendix Four: charcoal identifications from Glenulra Enclosure .............. 149 Appendix Five: Ceramics Catalogue: Céide Fields Visitor Centre ................. 150 Early Neolithic carinated bowl ............................................................................................................ 150 Middle Neolithic Globular bowl .......................................................................................................... 150 Appendix Six: Charcoal identifications: Céide Fields Visitor Centre & Glenulra Scatter ....................................................................................................... 152 Céide Fields (E494) .............................................................................................................................. 152 Glenulra Scatter (92E140) ................................................................................................................... 155 iii Acknowledgments This report is the product of many years of work, from many different people, far too numerous to name here. The projects summarised here, over the years, have received funding from many different sources – indeed, the projects summarised offer in many senses a history of Irish archaeology and the availability of funding, from emergency labour schemes through to varied research grants. Where specific funding has been provided for particular projects these are discussed in text. The contribution of volunteer labour, especially that of students, to the success of the projects over the long term should also be noted. The Neolithic and Bronze Age Landscapes of North Mayo project has been supported by INSTAR and INSTAR2 in 2009-2011, following a pilot in 2008 supported by the Heritage Council’s unpublished excavations scheme. We are extremely grateful for this support, without which it would not have been possible to develop the project and to be as close to final publication of this material as we now are. iv Introduction, by Graeme Warren This report outlines the results of excavations at and near the Céide Fields Visitor Centre, North Co. Mayo. Three projects are included here: Dr Seán Ó Nualláin, Prof Michael Herity and Prof Ruaridhí de Valéra’s excavations at the court tomb at Behy (1963-1969); Prof Seamas Caulfield’s excavations at the Glenulra Enclosure (1970-1972); and Gretta Byrne and Noel Dunne’s excavations in advance of the construction of the Céide Fields Visitor Cente (1989-1993). This report forms part of the Neolithic and Bronze Age Landscapes of North Mayo (NBNM) project which aims to bring to full publication the survey and excavations in north Mayo carried out by Caulfield and his students. The NBNM project has been supported by the Heritage Council (2008) and INSTAR (2009-2011). This project will finish in 2012, with a full text covering all aspects of the research and extensive interpretative discussion. This current report focuses on presenting the results of the excavations and an overall chronological model for the Céide Fields Visitor