Offaly monastic human remains are carbon dated to early Christian period

THE human remains dramatically uncovered in Lemanaghan's monastic site have been carbon dated to the early Christian period.
The scientific results came back recently, resulting in considerable interest and enthusiasm amongst the locals.
This story of "Saints, Storms and Skeletons" dates back to January 24th, 2025 when Storm Éowyn swept through the site, felling four mature trees within the enclosure surrounding the early Christian oratory of St Mella, and exposing human burials within their root-balls. This was a dramatic discovery because it hadn't previously been known that people were buried there.
The radioncarbon dating has now revealed that the remains were from 1,000 to 1,300 years old. What made the discovery of these ancient burial sites even more extraordinary was the fact that the storm revealed the remains on the feast day of Saint Manchán, the founding saint of this important early monastery. St Manchán is recorded as having died in AD 664. Scientific analysis shows that one burial dates to between 662 and 817 AD, while another dates to between 707 and 939 AD, meaning the individuals were possibly laid to rest within decades of the saint himself.
“This discovery stunned both archaeologists and the local community,” Aoife Phelan of the Lemanaghan Bog Heritage and Conservation Group told the Tribune. “The storm that exposed the burials struck on St Manchán’s feast day, a day that is still marked every year at Lemanaghan by local people who go on pilgrimage to the holy well, visit St Mella’s Cell and attend Mass, continuing traditions that stretch back more than a thousand years.”
It was during this annual day of pilgrimage, after the storm had passed, that Aoife, accompanied by her sons, nieces and nephews, first noticed the uprooted trees within the enclosure at St Mella’s Cell, “trees whose torn roots had disturbed soil that had not seen daylight since the early medieval period. The following day, local man Séamus Corcoran recognised that the exposed skull at the site was likely human remains.”
This in turn set in motion a chain of events that led to the full archaeological investigation facilitated by the Heritage Office in Offaly County Council, The National Monuments Service and The National Museum, which resulted in a team of archaeologists from Irish Heritage School led by Birr man Dr Denis Shine excavating the site.
“Until this moment, the enclosure around St Mella’s Cell was never known to be a burial ground,” commented Aoife, “making the discovery all the more astonishing. The exact number of different skeletons is still under investigation as the remains were interwoven, possibly layered on top of each other. However it is certain that multiple individuals were found buried according to Christian tradition, aligned east to west, within what is now understood to be an intimate and sacred part of the early monastic complex. The discovery feels like a message from our ancestors. It is a moment when a sacred landscape has spoken again, revealing that Lemanaghan still yields the secrets of a deeply rooted past. They have quite literally lifted their heads from the earth after 1300 years, and to do so on St Manchán’s pattern day is astonishing. It has made it clear to us that Lemanaghan is sacred historic land, and that it must be protected, preserved and respected.”
Dr Shine said the Irish Heritage School team had been “lucky to work with the lovely community of Lemanaghan on several occasions over the years on both a voluntary and professional basis. As it's one of the midlands premier monastic sites we have also been bringing third level student groups there for a number of years. Knowing the site well, the opportunity to excavate human remains from tree root plates at Mella’s Cell was undoubtedly a career highlight, and a first, for us! Lots of options were carefully explored with the National Museum and National Monuments Service, before we decided that excavation was the only viable option. While the excavation was small in scale it was incredibly challenging due to complex and unusual excavation circumstances created by Storm Éowyn, which resulted in extremely precariously held together burials that were severely disturbed by roots. However, we were lucky to have a very experienced team, who deserve our thanks, as do the Council and National Monuments Service for funding the dig.”
Following meticulous removal of the roots and exposure of the skeletal remains, the excavation of the burials was also co-ordinated by project osteoarchaeologist Dr Annamaria Diana. Dr Diana said four disturbed “articulated inhumations were identified – two were in the largest south-western fallen tree roots and two in the westernmost tree roots; further human remains were observed in the north-eastern tree root plate, but thankfully these could subsequently be preserved in situ. All skeletal remains from the site (including both the burials and an amount of disarticulated bone) are currently being analysed to assess biological profiles and possible pathological conditions as well as to establish the minimum number of individuals represented. Based on preliminary observations carried out so far, the assemblage clearly includes more than the four articulated burials and contains individuals of different ages, with identified juvenile teeth confirming the presence of children in the burial ground.”
Aoife also told the Tribune that Fr Brendan O’Sullivan will celebrate Mass for the feast of St Manchan in St Mary’s Church, Pullough, on Saturday next January 24th at 6.30pm. St Mary’s Church is renowned for its beautiful Harry Clarke stained-glass windows and its distinctive bog oak altar. All are welcome to attend.

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