Human remains found at Beatin near Piltown in South Kilkenny are likely four thousand years old.
The discovery by a local farmer clearing land in the Lingaun Valley has been identified as a probably bronze-age cist burial chamber.
Richard Walsh from the Caiseal Conservation group who looks after the nearby Knockroe passage Tomb described what was found:
“It’s a small chamber actually. It’s only about 16 inches square and maybe about a foot deep”
Archaeologists are examining the area it was found and Professor Muiris O’Sullivan says there may be a full excavation of the site.
He told Sue Nunn on The Way it is that the cist may hold the cremated remains of several people – he says they are most likely local farmers but there’s no way to know for certain:
“They probably are local people. You know, I doubt if they’re people who have come from outside or something like that. This is someone local. Unfortunately, you can’t get DNA out of cremated remains so you’re not able to check against the present population”
You can listen back to those interviews with Richard Walsh and Professor Muiris O’Sullivan in full here:
