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Céide Fields
| Ballycastle - Belderg Road (R314), Ballycastle Co. Mayo | ||
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Visitor's rating: 4 vote(s) | ||
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| More attractions in Co. Mayo. |
Céide Fields
(authors collection)
After the withdrawal of the icecaps after the Ice Ages vegetation found its way to Ireland. In the millennia between 9000 BCE and 4000 BCE the initial robust steppe vegetation disappeared and dense forests took over. Being hunters-gatherers the first humans owed their lives to the animals and plants of the forest, but at the peak of the afforestation the humans decided to change their style of living. With primitive stone tools they cleared the less dense forests on higher grounds to make way for pastures and fields. The ancient nomadic men had settled down to become Mesolithic farmers. In the course of time the tools improved, due to which the more dense forests on the slopes and - eventually during the Bronze Age - in the valleys fell prey to the axes.
Without trees to retain the nutrients and with no knowledge of ley farming the inexperienced farmers of the Stone Ages could do nothing but watching how the rain leached the sorely needed nutrients away. As a result the topsoil became acidic and minerals formed an impermeable deposit on the bedrock, creating a so-called hard pan in which water was retained. Most trees and crops kick the bucket in such an acid and wet environment, while the debris of the plants that blossom and flourish in these hostility conditions do not decompose. In time the died off heather and other bog plants formed a thick layer of floating undecomposed mess.
Every sane man avoided these worthless farming lands until people found a use for these blanket bogs in the seventeenth century. In the absence of trees the undecomposed mess turned out to be an excellent fuel, known as turf or peat. Nowadays untouched bogs are rare as most bogs are modified by humans cutting peat.
In the 1930's Patrick Caulfield, a local schoolteacher, was cutting peat near Ballycastle. During this physical and monotonous task his erudite attention was attracted by piled stones beneath the peat. He was unable to interpret his finding, although he probably realised that the piles had to be created by humans before the formation of the bog.
About 40 years later Seamus Cauldfield, Patrick's son and archaeologist, took over his father's fascination for the stones beneath the peat. In the years that followed Cauldfield realised he had discovered a men made Stone Age landscape of walled fields, houses and tombs.
Most of the Céide Fields, in all covering approximately thousands of acres, are mapped using non-destructive methods and only small portions of the fields are actually uncovered as in visible to the naked eye. Nevertheless a visit is an absolute must because the neat structure of the fields and dwellings belies the general opinion of early savage farmers living in a barely organised society. Apart from the historical meaning of the site the scenery is just breathtaking. It might be a good idea though to take note of the warning signs near the cliff edge and to keep your kids on a leash.
Information about the Céide Fields and the north of Mayo in general can be obtained at the visitor centre. In contrast to many others we do not think much of the pyramid shaped centre which is literally built around a pine tree of over 4300 years old. The exhibition is nice but by no means uplifting.