A 3,000-year-old ghost fortress 'rises' under a layer of seaweed

A mysterious fortress up to 3,000 years old has been found during surveys of Clew Bay on the west coast of Ireland.

A 3,000-year-old ghost fortress 'rises' under a layer of seaweed Picture 1

The initial discovery was made by freelance archaeologist Michael Gibbons, who identified a large section of double wall that cuts across an isthmus that rises and falls with the tide, connecting Collanmore Island to the mainland.

Until now, the ramparts have remained unexplored because they are submerged under water at high tide and covered with seaweed at low tide.

Mr. Gibbons's group and another archaeological group happened to be surveying the area when a man was cutting seaweed there, thus accidentally discovering traces of the fortress.

Parts of the wall are made of limestone, located in an area 200-300 m in diameter and were built during the region's Bronze Age - from 1100 to 900 BC.

This location may have given Bronze Age inhabitants a strategic advantage.

Similar fortifications have been found at several coastal and lake forts on the west coast of Ireland.

Mr. Gibbons reported the discovery of the fort to the National Monuments Service, along with a stone-lined tomb he found on the shore opposite Omey Island.

This tomb revealed strong waves along the coast that had sucked sand out of the area, revealing ancient structures roughly rectangular in shape.

Kareem Winters

Update 04 April 2024