Body in bog could be 2,000 years old, says museum

A REMARKABLY well-preserved body found in a Midlands bog could be up to 2000 years old.

The body is potentially of significant international archaeological interest, the National Museum of Ireland said yesterday.

The headless body was discovered by a Co Offaly farmer as he was digging a drain close to his home. The skin was still intact on the upper torso, the clothes were preserved and there was a bracelet on the upper arm.

When he stepped out of his mechanical digger and close to the body, farmer Kevin Barry particularly noticed the fingernails were still intact. He immediately called the gardaí though he suspected the body was very old.

Deputy State Pathologist Marie Cassidy went to the scene yesterday afternoon and within minutes was able to establish that the body was hundreds of years old.

Archaeologists from the National Museum and the Heritage Service visited the site at Croghan Hill near Daingean yesterday and the torso was later removed to the museum.

Forensic pathologist Fiona McGovern from UCD said a body can remain intact and well preserved in bogland for thousands of years.

“It depends on the acidity of the bog and a number of other properties,” she said.

Ms McGovern said it is possible to find out if the body was laid out, as in burial, or if the person had died unexpectedly.

The National Museum’s head of collections, Raghnall O’Floinn, said: “No age has been confirmed for the body, but it could be anywhere between 500-2000 years old.