What is recorded here

Midden in Cartoorbeg is a shell dump on Omey Island where wind still strips the dunes to reveal limpet shells and burnt stone. It marks a time when people lived there, ate what the sea gave, and let the remains build a small hill. The ocean took much of it back, but it never erased the fact that the coast was shared.

On a small headland on the N shoreline of Omey Island. This midden was initially visited in October 1983 when it was described as an irregular spread of mixed shells and burnt stone that was exposed by wind action and covered an area of 600m sq. During a revisit in May 2014 two exposed sections were visible in the sand dunes: one on the W side of the headland and one on its E side. The exposed midden (L 38m) on the W side was visible in dunes that ranged in height from c. 4.5m at the S end to c. 1.6m at the N end. The midden material, predominently limpet shells with some periwinkle shells, was visible in a dark peaty layer. The exposed midden material (L 9.5m) to the E of the headland was similar in profile. To the E of this section a clear sand face was visible in the dune but some sections of the dune had slumped and were also obscured with blown sand. The above description is derived from the published 'Archaeological Inventory of County Galway Vol. I - West Galway'. In certain instances the entries have been revised and updated in the light of recent research. Compiled by Paul Gosling (Dublin: Stationery Office, 1993). Updated by: Olive Alcock Date of upload: 23 July 2014

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