27/08/2026
The Bronze Age began in Ireland approximately 4,500 years ago (2500 BCE) and continued until around 500 BCE.
Although Céide Fields is predominantly a Neolithic landscape, evidence from the wider North Mayo area shows that communities continued to live, farm, and work within this landscape during the Bronze Age.
This was a period of significant technological and social change. The development of bronze—created by combining copper and tin—made it possible to produce new types of tools and weapons. New styles of pottery, including Beaker pottery, also appeared, while objects such as gold jewellery may have been used to express identity, status, and wealth.
Evidence of these changes survives near Céide Fields and throughout North Mayo. Archaeologists have uncovered Bronze Age settlements and cultivation marks, while copper and bronze objects, pottery, and gold jewellery reveal the skills and changing ways of life of the communities who inhabited this region.
If you would like to learn more about our fascinating past, make a break for North Mayo and discover the story of Céide Fields.
Heritage Ireland / OPW - Office of Public Works / Mayo North Tourism, Ireland
