Patrick Caulfield, a local schoolteacher, first discovered the site during the 1930s. The remarkable neolithic site at Céide Fields in County Mayo, Ireland, contains the oldest known I arrived in the midst of the winter holidays, the most inconvenient time of the year to be given a personal tour, as the visitor center is closed during this season. The Céide Fields … The building is almost seamlessly built into the sensitive environment. The discovery of what is now known as Céide Fields really began back in the 1930s when a local schoolteacher, Patrick Caulfield from Belderrig, often noticed piles of stones in the bottom of the bog when cutting his turf. Céide Fields is a place telling of the origins of cultivated landscapes and of a distant past that has long been concealed from our gaze. There are also dramatic cliffs and views out over the Atlantic Ocean. Here you can indulge yourself in a vast prehistoric landscape, a natural wild ecology of blanket bog, dramatic cliffs and coastline. Many of these are listed on EU Habitats Directive and so the area is protected as a Special Area of Conservation (SAC). It is considered one of the oldest Neolithic sites in the country and the oldest example of field systems anywhere in the world. Photo about Cliffs Across from Ceide Fields, County Mayo, Ireland. Drone footage of the Céide cliffs Ballycastle County Mayo. Sign in Sign up for FREE Prices and download plans I was skeptical of what might be so significant on the cliffs of Mayo. The Céide Cliffs (on which the Céide Fields rest) are over 300 million years old and rise up to 370 feet above sea level. – against the cliffs below. Through cross-comparison with pottery found in tombs and Neolithic sites in Western Europe, the Céide Fields' shards, along with radiocarbon dating from the hearth, placed the occupancy of the enclosure at around 3000 B.C. Céide Fields Beneath the wild bog lands of North Mayo lies Céide Fields, the most extensive stone age monument in the world which is soon to be classed as a World Heritage Site; with field systems, dwelling areas and megalithic tombs of 5,000 years ago. It is certainly possible that their interaction with neighboring groups was completely peaceful, but it is unlikely. The 10k departs from the Céide Fields Visitor Centre and follows the coastal route back towards Ballycastle along the spectacular Céide Cliffs. Description: From "The Museums of Mayo": "Ceide Fields … The enclosure, probably a domestic structure, was replete with an outside hearth and what conceivably had been an animal pen. IrishCentral is choosing one wonderful tourist attraction in Ireland to spark joy and inspiration for those planning or dreaming of traveling to Ireland. The Céide Fields Visitors Centre in North Mayo will certainly give you a unique experience. The Ceíde Fields (meaning “a flat topped hill” in Irish) is a Neolithic or Stone Age farmed landscape which dates around five thousand years ago. Cliffs and Ceide Fields. The incredible neolithic site at Céide Fields atop the spectacular sea cliffs near Ballycastle County Mayo, Ireland, contains the oldest known stone-walled fields in the world – dating back an incredible 6,000 years. Cliffs at the Céide Fields Colm Gibbons. A number of sectional cuts have also been made into the bog, unearthing segments of these stone walls. The wall position is then marked and followed in its presumed direction, much like a game of Battleship. On the eve of history, before the pyramids were built in Egypt, this heavily forested area was settled by a community that created a complex system of cultivated fields enclosed by stone walls and with adjoining villages. © Copyright 2021 Irish Studio LLC All rights reserved. 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. Gretta Byrne, a Céide Fields archaeologist, took time out of her holiday to brave the roads from Dublin and meet me there. A primitive plough head was also discovered within the enclosure, which gave additional evidence of animal husbandry, probably cattle, as the horse was not yet introduced to Ireland. The interior of the building is composed of oak, sandstone, and glass, with the materials becoming lighter in color as one approaches the glass-peaked observation tower. Prices and download plans . Frances Mulraney The Céide Fields is an archaeological site on the north County Mayo coast in the west of Ireland, about 7 kilometres northwest of Ballycastle. Immediately opposite the Ceide Fields site, is a viewing platform from which it is possible to gain a commanding view of the sheer sea cliffs. The Céide Fields are the oldest known field systems in the world, over five and a half millennia old. What first enabled the bog to grow in this region is debatable. Location: 8km west of Ballycastle on R314.Guided tours:Max no : 40Duration: 45 minutes – 1 hourFor more information click HERE, © Belmullet CGS 2017 All Rights Reserved. 2 reviews of Céide Fields Visitor Centre "This place is so cool. That we are now learning its secrets is thanks to an observant local school teacher, Patrick Caulfield. For this is not just another archaeological monument or visitor centre. It was Ms. Byrne who brought the Céide Fields' history to life. The landscape itself has been forged from the dramatic upheaval of the earths crust over millions of years, and by the ferocious winds which frequent this exposed coast. Just because defensive structures, such as protective walls (which would be larger and thicker than the farming walls) and tower foundations, have not been uncovered is not reason enough to presume that they do not exist. The idea of field walls did not conjure up images of importance or grandeur. The Visitor Centre has won several awards, including the Gold Medal for architecture. Inside there are cool exhibits, lots of info about the people who had been settled there and stuff about how being covered in bog preserved so much so well. I didn't know that there was such as important location here in the west of Ireland. Céide Fields. The site is in UNESCO's … ... Wild Atlantic Way in 360: Surfing Below the Cliffs of Moher - Duration: 2:11. The Ceide Cliffs (on which the Ceide Fields rest) are over 300 million years old and rise up to 370 feet above sea level Tourism Ireland. The Céide Cliffs (on which the Céide Fields rest) are over 300 million years old and rise up to 370 feet above sea level. In 1989, Dr. Seamus Caulfield and Professor Martin Downes began the project for the Céide Fields Visitor Centre. For more information visit www.heritageireland.ie/en/west/ceidefields. Céide Fields overlooks the mighty Atlantic Ocean which gently laps or vigorously pounds – depending on the weather! Covered in blanket bog, with its unique vegetation and wildlife, the area has been selectively and sensitively excavated since its discovery in the 1930’s by a local schoolteacher while cutting turf for fuel. The Céide Fields is one of over 60 heritage sites run by the Office of OPW in Ireland. The site is even considered by archaeologists … Richard Walter 571 views. It is a great experience in a wonderful setting. This has prompted many into believing that this agrarian society lived peacefully without thought or threat of war. Location: 8km west of Ballycastle on R314. The soil at Céide Fields has been constantly subjected to the conflicts of the weather. I shouldn't have been. The area, at the time of the stone enclosures' construction, was a dense primeval forest filled with animals that today can only be found in Ireland's museums, including wolves, brown bears, and boars. The Céide Fields workers rely on probing, an inventive yet rudimentary way of mapping the site adapted from a traditional practice of finding ancient trees deep beneath the bog. What brings tourists to Ireland over and over again? Céide Fields. We know that the population participated in trade and therefore certainly had contact with various other peoples, as evidenced from a number of flint and Porcellanite (used for stone axes) finds from County Antrim in the north. But the bog has been keeping secrets. Ceide Fields. Céide Fields. The price of admission is 3.50 euros for adults, 2.50 euros for seniors and groups and 1.25 for students and children. This society would also have to have had a source of food production independent of these new fields and independent of the population working on them. Mar 11, 2009. It may not look like much more than a bog, ... Artifacts recovered at Ceide Fields tell a story of a much more advanced lifestyle than anyone previously suspected to have existed in Neolithic times. Ceide Fields, County Mayo Picture: Mayo cliffs - Check out Tripadvisor members' 1,258 candid photos and videos. There are also dramatic cliffs and views out over the Atlantic Ocean. The Céide Fields Neolithic Site and Visitor Centre 3rd January 2020 2 Mins Read The incredible neolithic site at Céide Fields atop the spectacular sea cliffs near Ballycastle County Mayo, Ireland, contains the oldest known stone-walled fields in the world – dating back an incredible 6,000 years. Most likely The Céide Fields will not. You drive up a tiny road along all these cliffs to a glass pyramid about three quarters of the way to the top.  stone-walled fields in the world – dating back nearly 6,000 years. The Glenmoy Bog landscape above the Céide Fields has a unique ecology of blanket bog, wet heath, juniper scrub, dystrophic lakes, rhynchosporion depressions and dramatic cliffs. For this is not just another archaeological monument or visitor centre. The centre not only presents the archaeology of the site but also the botany, bogs and geology of the area. Rome2rio makes travelling from Galway to Céide Fields easy. Huge collection, amazing choice, 100+ million high quality, affordable RF and RM images. Céide Fields – Stone Age field system and Visitor Centre . Check out this week's, The Céide Fields, in County Mayo. At this discovery point of the Wild Atlantic Way, the spectacular view on the lookout on top of the rugged and imposing cliffs should not be missed. ... 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