Findings based on the excavation work of generations of leading Irish archaeologists have finally been published in a major study.
Duma na nGiall, Tara, the Mound of the Hostages by Prof Muiris O'Sullivan, head of the UCD school of archaeology, was launched yesterday. It marks the culmination of work first begun at the Co Meath site in 1955 by Sean P O Riordain, the then professor of Celtic archaeology at UCD, for two seasons, and continued after his death by his successor Ruaidhri de Valera.
The finds were available for public viewing at UCD Belfield yesterday prior to being presented to the National Museum, where some or all will, in time, be displayed
The Mound of the Hostages is a megalithic tomb consisting of three separate compartments. Although much smaller than the mound at Newgrange, the Mound of the Hostages has been found to contain the human remains of some 300 individuals.
According to Prof O'Sullivan, who has been involved in excavation work at Tara since 1988, "there is nothing like it in any passage tomb in Europe".
Aside from the wealth of information about the site, the book also traces the development of Irish archaeological excavation methodology and techniques, and acknowledges the scholars that set about unravelling the mysteries of Tara.
