Ranelagh Bronze Age Cemetery – Ireland’s Forgotten Dead
Meta Description: Explore Ranelagh Cemetery in County Roscommon — one of the largest Bronze Age burial sites in Ireland, with over 400 cremation urns and prehistoric grave goods.
Introduction
Ranelagh Bronze Age Cemetery in County Roscommon is one of the most important prehistoric burial grounds in Ireland. Discovered during development in the 2010s, the site revealed more than 400 cremation burials, each housed in pottery urns with accompanying grave goods, dating to around 1500 BC.
What Was Found?
- Over 400 urn burials
- Beads, razors, and bone tools
- Children and adult remains
Excavations indicated this was a planned cemetery, used over many decades by a settled Bronze Age community.
Insights into Bronze Age Ireland
The layout and grave types suggest a belief in the afterlife and social stratification. The presence of personal grooming tools (like bronze razors) and decorative beads hints at complex ritual and identity practices.
Conservation and Study
Archaeologists have used advanced methods like isotope analysis to determine diet and migration patterns. A report by the National Monuments Service confirms the site’s significance in understanding Irish prehistory.