The Céide Fields were ‘discovered’ back in the 1930s when people while cutting turf here probably wondered about the piles of stones they found as he dug down into the bog. For local schoolmaster Patrick Caulfield from Belderrig the regularity of the piles of stones and the way they were laid out made him realise they were there before the bog grew on top of them.
Fast forward a few years and his son Seamus who had become an archaeologist studied it much further. With the use of long steel rods and pushing them or probing into the bog until they hit something hard they systematically ‘mapped’ the buried walls. Example here.
What was discovered was evidence of 5000 year old Neolithic field systems, tombs and houses which had lain buried and hidden for hundreds of centuries. The area was deserted due to the growth of Sphagnum moss which thrived as a result of a much wetter climate and over time ‘grew’ creating a bog.
There is an award winning visitor centre there which can be visited for a small fee with a guided tour of the site and a wee cafe. More details and information about opening times can be found here. It is closed for the winter
Please put the container back exactly together as you found it the correct way up to keep it dry.