What is recorded here

Twenty metres of broken limpets and periwinkles line the southeast shore of Inishkea North, buried beneath thin sand and living grass. The shells mark repeated human meals, while fire-cracked stones suggest flames burned nearby. A graveyard stands eight metres inland, linking domestic hunger and death on the same small strip of land.

Located on the SE shoreline of Inishkea North. There is a graveyard (MA023-014002-) 8m to N. A dense layer (L c. D 0.2-0.3m) of seashells, predominately limpets and periwinkles, with occasional fish bones and fire-cracked stones, in a matrix of dark sandy soil, is exposed in section intermittently for a length of c. 20m along the rocky shoreline. It underlies a layer (D 0.1m) of sand topped by sod. The base of the shallow section face is largely obscured by piles of loose stones and boulders tossed up by the sea. It is a National Monument in state ownership (379). Attached images: MA023-014036-_01.JPG Midden exposed in section viewed from S MA023-014036-_02.JPG E end of midden MA023-014036-_03.JPG Close up of shells Compiled by: Jane O’Shaughnessy Date of upload: 28 July 2023

The monument record does not grant public access. Check the route and ask the landowner before entering private land.