Graves dating from early Christian times and an enclosed area, possibly dating back to the Bronze Age, have been uncovered by archaeologists on a site due for development in Laytown, Co Meath.
The one-acre site is on what was an unused field and originally intended as the location for the next phase of a housing estate. Instead, consultants Archaeology Development Services are excavating it.
The graves are lined with stones, and initial work by a palaeopathologist suggests they contain the remains of both men and women. They have found very few children. "That is a bit of a puzzle. They could be somewhere else on the site and we have yet to discover it but so far we have found approximately 50 individual graves," said Mr Martin Reid, site manager for the excavations.
The enclosure found is sub-rectangular in shape and some of it is made of double ditches, which have led archaeologists to believe the site was strongly defended. So far, no artefacts have been found. The possibility that the area could be of historical interest was first suggested by a local man, Mr Ciaran Campbell, who spotted burnt pottery on lands where the first phase of the housing development, Inse Bay, is located.
Mr Reid said the discovery could possibly have been an early Christian site or a monastic site.
The work is taking place on an area where building has not yet begun and the developer, Woodgreen Builders Ltd, has been praised for its responsible attitude towards the work.
Examination of organic matter, including crop seeds, found preserved in the lower waterlogged fills of the ditches, could reveal details on the lives of the people there.
This is not the first such discovery of archaeological importance along the Meath coastline. Some 18 months ago archaeologists examined another site in Bettystown, half a mile from Laytown, and found evidence of a Bronze Age settlement, cremations and inhumations.
The excavations in Laytown are expected to continue until the end of the month when a decision will be reached on the intended use of the site by the developer.