Céide Fields

The Céide Fields (Irish: Achaidh Chéide, meaning 'flat topped hill fields') is an archaeological site on the north County Mayo coast in the west of Ireland, about 4.3 mi (6.9 km) northwest of Ballycastle. The site has been described as the most extensive Neolithic site in Ireland and is claimed to contain the oldest known field systems globally. Using various dating methods, it has been stated that the creation and development of the Céide Fields went back approximately 5500 years (~3500 BCE), some 2,500 years before this type of field system developed everywhere else in Europe. Other dating methods and research has suggested that the complex developed 3,000 years ago, and is otherwise a "textbook example" of a Celtic field system, several examples of which are associated with late Bronze Age and Iron Age Europe. The Behy court tomb, a megalithic monument, lies within the Céide Fields complex. The site is in UNESCO's tentative list to gain World Heritage status. There is estimated to be more than 100 km (62 mi) of field enclosure stone walls hidden beneath the peat bog.