Experts tell of the violent and gruesome deaths of ancient Irish kings, but what is the truth behind these amazingly well-preserved bog bodies housed in this Dublin museum?
The first time I took my sons to the National Museum of Archaeology in Dublin was a great success. They were amazed by the hordes of ancient gold, fascinated by the Viking swords and longship, but what excited us all the most was the 2014 exhibition entitled **”Kingship and Sacrifice.”**
This display hosts several prehistoric bodies pulled from Ireland’s peat bogs, along with other items plumbed from the depths which may or may not be associated with them—such as gold jewelry, headdresses, weapons, eating utensils, and artifacts related to corn and milk production. When the Irish decide to do something with their archaeology, it has to be said, they do it very well indeed.
The mood is somber and respectful; the lighting subdued. The prehistoric past of Ireland’s kings is conjured up before our eyes with imagination and artistry, while we gaze with wonder into the faces of real people who lived, breathed, loved, and died thousands of years before us. It’s a spectacular and unforgettable experience.
### How Were the Bog Bodies So Well Preserved?
The secret lies in the unique habitat of the Irish bog. The word “bog” is derived from the Irish word *bogarch*, which means “soft.” Peat bog covers 17% of Ireland’s surface, giving us the third-highest proportion of peatland globally, after Canada and Finland. It takes one thousand years to grow just one meter deep of bog.
The peat itself consists of 95% water, with the remainder made up of rotting vegetation, pollen, dust, and the like. In Ireland, peat has traditionally been cut, dried, and burned as turf in fireplaces. It is usually during turf-cutting that bog bodies come to light.
The cold, acidic, oxygen-free conditions within the peat prevent decay, effectively mummifying and preserving the tissues of animal and human bodies. To date, around a hundred bodies have been found in Irish bogs—some male, some female, and some children.
Some were thought to have ended up there by accident, perhaps falling into the bog and drowning. Others appeared to be formal (and some less formal) burials, while some seem rather more sinister.
### Famous Bog Bodies of Ireland
Of the latter category, the most famous is **Cashel Man**, discovered near Portlaoise in 2011. At over 4,000 years old, he is said to be the oldest European bog body ever found with skin intact. Others include **Old Croghan Man** from Co. Offaly, **Clonycavan Man** from Co. Meath, **Gallagh Man** from Co. Galway, and **Baronstownwest Man** from Co. Kildare.
These bodies have been analyzed in great detail using modern techniques by renowned experts from all over the world. Much has been discovered about their lives and the injuries that caused their deaths.
For example, Old Croghan Man was a giant—estimated to have stood approximately 6ft 6ins tall. His soft hands with well-manicured nails suggest he was a nobleman, supported by evidence of a meat-dominated diet. He died sometime between 362 and 175 BC.
By contrast, Clonycavan Man, who lived 2,300 years ago, was only 5ft tall. His diet consisted mainly of grains and plants in the four months prior to his death; before that, he ate a lot of meat. It is suggested he may have died in the autumn after a summer diet of fruit, vegetables, and grain—before the meat-rich winter diet resumed.
Interestingly, Clonycavan Man had a distinctive hairstyle: cut to 2.5 cm long at the back, with the rest 20 cm long and gathered into a bunch on top of his head. He also styled it with pine resin imported from trees found only in Spain and southern France, indicating wealth and possibly noble origins.
### Were These Bog Bodies Ritual Sacrifices?
The popular press often paints these men as victims of violent and gruesome deaths. Old Croghan Man, for example, had holes cut through his upper arms, through which ropes were inserted to restrain him. He was repeatedly stabbed, had his nipples sliced off, and was then cut in half.
Clonycavan Man was reportedly disemboweled, struck over the head three times with an ax, once across his body, and had his nipples removed too.
Call me cynical, but these gory details have the makings of attention-grabbing headlines and sensational, punter-pulling content.
In his paper *An Archaeological Interpretation of Irish Iron Age Bog Bodies*, Eamonn Kelly, Keeper of Irish Antiquities at the National Museum, offers a slightly different perspective.
He explains that Clonycavan Man was killed by ax blows to the head and chest and had a 40 cm cut to his abdomen consistent with disembowelment — wounds resembling those inflicted in battle.
Old Croghan Man was killed by a stab wound to the chest and had a defense wound on his arm, suggesting he attempted to protect himself. This does not sound like sacrificial victim behavior, though it indicates he was probably weaponless. He was then decapitated, his nipples cut, and his body cut in half at the stomach. The cuts in his arms, threaded with ropes, are explained by Kelly as a means of fixing his body to the bottom of the bog, suggesting the perpetrators wanted to hide the evidence.
It remains unclear in both cases whether the mutilations occurred before or after death—both scenarios are gruesome.
Yet Kelly is convinced, saying: “this is absolutely not torture but a form of ritual sacrifice.”
### The Role of the Iron Age King and Ritual Sacrifice
The Iron Age king was responsible for the ongoing success of his people—ensuring fertile land, healthy livestock, and productive crops. If any of these failed, he was held accountable and sometimes sacrificed to the gods in hopes of better fortune.
Moreover, it was believed the king had to be whole and unblemished for his tribe to succeed. This is evident in the mythological story of King Nuada of the Tuatha Dé Danann, who, though he survived losing an arm in battle, could no longer remain king because he was no longer whole.
### A Skeptical View
While I respect the work of these experts, I remain unconvinced by their theories. Archaeologists can only make educated interpretations—not facts—about their findings.
In my amateur enthusiast opinion, they are quick to claim “ritual” when they don’t fully understand something.
Having read extensively on mythology, early history, and archaeology, I feel equipped to form my own view.
In mythology, the demand for a “whole” king appears again in figures like Fergus mac Léti, a King of Ulster, who suffered wounds that twisted his mouth to the back of his head. Mirrors were removed from his home so he could not see his deformity. Such disfigurement rendered him ineligible for kingship. Few were permitted to witness it, and those who did were under penalty of death for uttering a word. This secret was maintained for seven years before the truth surfaced.
In an earlier post, I discussed the role of human sacrifice in ancient Ireland—or rather, the lack of concrete evidence supporting such practices.
If a king was already wounded, he was by definition less than whole and thus did not require further mutilation. If a king could not look after his people, why would they offer him as a “great gift” to the gods?
Perhaps these men were simply murdered due to ineffectual rule. Maybe the bog bodies were not kings at all but rich noblemen who fell victim to robbery and were dumped in the bog to hide the crime.
Alternatively, they could have been warriors defeated in battle or captives brutally tortured.
What actual proof exists that these deaths were ritual killings? Where is the evidence differentiating these killings from torture or murder?
Some valuable items were discovered in the bogs, it’s true, but ancient people worldwide have long deposited votive offerings in water. That in itself is not unusual.
The tribes of the time were constantly engaged in battle and raids—mythology and history alike abound with such stories. The fact that many bogs lie along ancient borders lends further credibility to the idea that battles may have been fought there.
### The Myth of Crom Cruach and Human Sacrifice
Irish mythology mentions only one story of human sacrifice involving a king named Tigernmas. He established an idol called Crom Cruach, demanding his people sacrifice their firstborn children and a third of their grain.
According to a 6th-century poem in the *Book of Leinster*, the effigy was covered in gold sheets and surrounded by twelve stone figures on the plain of Magh Slecht (now Moysleet) in Co. Cavan. Children were killed by hitting their heads against the idol stone, and their blood sprinkled upon it.
To me, this story reads as Christian propaganda. Tigernmas and three-quarters of his men were said to have mysteriously perished during their devotion to the idol, an event interpreted by Christians as divine retribution.
But why would a god kill the very people feeding him blood and grain?
Saint Patrick supposedly “saved” the people by striking the stone with his crozier, breaking it into pieces from which a demon flew out and was banished to hell. Notably, this story is absent from Patrick’s own writings.
If human or kingly sacrifices were common, we would expect many such stories filling ancient records. This is the only one I could find.
### The Killycluggin Stone
In 1921, a dome-shaped stone figure covered in what are said to be La Tène-style carvings was found broken and partly buried beside a Bronze Age stone circle near Kilnavert Church in Co. Cavan (originally Rath Slecht). Named **The Killycluggin Stone**, it now resides in the Cavan County Museum, just five minutes from where I live.
### The Truth About Ireland’s Bog Bodies
Unfortunately, the truth is: no one really knows.
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*Ali Isaac lives in beautiful rural Co. Cavan, Ireland, and is the author of two books based on Irish mythology:*
*Conor Kelly and The Four Treasures of Eirean*
*Conor Kelly and The Fenian King*
https://www.irishcentral.com/opinion/others/irish-bog-bodies-truth
