Neolithic and Bronze Age Landscapes of North Mayo: Report 2011

During the later Neolithic period the bog surface became considerably wetter (c. 4970 cal
BP) (Verrill and Tipping 2010, 1017). While charcoal data for most likely wetland downy birch
increases steadily through the Neolithic period, an increase in wetland alder is not noted in
the charcoal identifications until the Early Bronze Age, where it remains an important part of
the charcoal assemblage.
Towards the end of the Neolithic, pollen data indicates that the bog basin became quite dry,
with an expansion of pine (4767-4707 cal. BP.) (O’Connell and Molloy 2001, 108). This is not
reflected in the charcoal identifications, only one fragment of pine were identified from one
sample dating to the Neolithic.
By the Early Bronze Age, birch, alder, oak and to a lesser extent hazel are the most important
woodland taxa in the charcoal record. Hazel becomes considerably more important during
the Middle Bronze Age, possibly indicating a further opening out of the landscape.
Summary
Charcoal was fully identified from 83 samples from the Céide field complex in Mayo.
Thirteen wood taxa were identified. A low number of waterlogged structural wood samples
were also identified. The results are dominated by birch, oak, hazel and alder. This mixture
of canopy and light demanding trees indicate that the woodlands which most likely fringed
the cleared fields were not closed canopy in nature. Furthermore, the wood taxa identified
indicate different types of woodland were being exploited, including wetland, scrub and
taller canopy woodlands. This site (coupled with Belderrig 04E0893) is unique in that it
provides a well dated sequence of charcoal samples dating from the Mesolithic to the Early
Bronze Age in Mayo.
Acknowledgements:
Thanks to Dr. Graeme Warren, Prof. Seamas Caulfield, Gretta Byrne and Noel Dunne for
assistance on this project. Thanks to Dr. Ingelise Stuijts for confirming some of the charcoal
identifications from the sites.
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