A scientific study concerning a skeleton that was discovered in a cave in the Burren in Co. Clare has recently been published. The skeleton is believed to be that of a teenage boy who may have died up to 500 years ago.
Cavers discovered the human skull at Moneen, outside Ballyvaughan, and prompted a rescue archaeological excavation funded by the National Monuments Service of the Department of Arts, Heritage, Regional, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs.
The full scientific investigations of the skeleton have now been published, and they reveal incredible details about the boy’s life.
At the time of excavation, the small size of the skeleton led the team to think it was a child, but subsequent analysis of the teeth in particular revealed the remains belonged to someone who had died aged 14 to 16.
In addition, there was evidence of stunted growth, which was probably the result of malnutrition. The adolescent measured 4ft 1in in height, the equivalent of an average eight-year-old child by today’s standards or an 11- to 12-year-old in post-medieval times.
Radiocarbon dating was carried at Queen’s University Belfast and revealed the teenager had died sometime between the years 1520 and 1670.
