A number of batches of human remains from Donegal were among the archaeological finds handed into the National Museum of Ireland (NMI) since July 2023.
Forty-nine sets of human remains were discovered and handed into the NMI in Dublin over the 12-month period.
They were uncovered in Co Sligo, with more found in Co Carlow along with pottery, charcoal and the remains of animals.
Further human remains were found in Donegal later in the year, in addition to finds in Roscommon and Cork.
Throughout the rest of 2023 and into 2024, discoveries of human remains were made in Donegal, Sligo, Galway, Clare, Meath, Westmeath Louth, Waterford, Dublin, Kildare, Kerry, Tipperary and Mayo.
These records were obtained by RTÉ News through the Freedom of Information Act request submitted in mid-July.
They show that in the 12 months from July 2023 until July 2024, more than 2,000 artefacts found by members of the public and archaeologists were obtained by the NMI.
A trove of 636 clay pipes was handed in from Sligo in 2023.
Before cigarettes were popularised in Ireland, clay pipes were used for smoking and, according to the Galway City Museum, were known as “dúidíns”.
They were often decorated with various symbols and colours to express a smoker’s political or social views.
Vast quantities of beads were discovered in 2023 – approximately 1,877 in total – but the location of the finds were not recorded.
Read the full report on www.rte.ie
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