Excavations of a Neolithic Tomb at Tirnony, Maghera, Co. Derry/Londonderry

In the harsh winter of 2010, a combination of root action, and a hard frost, cracked one of the stones supporting the structure of Tirnony Dolmen causing the capstone to collapse into the interior of the tomb. In advance of the repair and reconstruction of the tomb, an excavation was carried out by Queen’s in collaboration with HED (then NIEA) to record the deposits around and inside the tomb which risked being damaged during the restoration. The excavation revealed a complex monument with evidence for human burial and ritual in the Neolithic period. Artefacts discovered during the excavation included fragments of pottery vessels of Neolithic date and flint knives and scrapers. Radiocarbon dates revealed that the monument was constructed about 3900BC.

Biography: Dr Cormac McSparron directed the excavations at Tirnony Dolmen. He is a Research Fellow at Queen’s University Belfast. He has directed and published a number of important excavations of varying types and periods in Ireland. He has a wide range of research interests, including the Irish Neolithic period, early and later Medieval Coarse potting traditions, the Early Bronze Ages, funerary archaeology, and the archaeology of migration.

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