Storm unearths medieval skeleton of man in County Sligo

The skeletal remains of a medieval man laid to rest more than 900 years ago have been earthed in County Sligo.

A violent storm uprooted a 200-year-old beech tree in Collooney and dangling from the roots was the upper portion of a skeleton. The legs were buried in a grave below.

Radiocarbon analysis shows the body was buried in a shallow grave some time between 1030 and 1200 AD.

Archaeologist Dr Marion Dowd said the young man had met a "violent end".

"He was between 17 and 20 years old and closer examination of the skeletal remains revealed that he had been stabbed numerous times in the chest area," she said.

"He also had a stab wound to the left hand as if he was defending himself from the attacker."

Dr Dowd led the excavation of the remains.

"What was unusual was that he was a younger man," she said.

'Conflicts and violence'

"We don't know if he died in a battle for instance. Was he one of many people who were killed, or was this a case of a personal dispute that went wrong?"

She said his remains gave an insight into how difficult life was more than 900 years ago.

"This is the early medieval period and we know that there were various conflicts and violence in this period," she said.

"We can assume he came from a farming background and one of the local settlements in the area.

"After he died we know his family or community would have recovered the body and given him a form of Christian burial and then 800 years later somebody planted a beech tree completely coincidentally on that spot."

Dr Dowd said the remains were now in the National Museum of Ireland and her work was finished on the project.

"There may be other burials in the area, we have no idea," she said.

"There were no signs of a graveyard, but there are historical records saying that there is a church in the area and possibly a graveyard.

"We didn't find any signs of that so our job is finished as such, but this might lead to a bigger research project down the line."

(pics & source at: www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-34266229 )