Our Irish Natural History; following our fossils

The dated gravestones in Moycullen’s medieval 'Sean Reilig' span four centuries, but fossils embedded within these stones take the story of Moycullen back nearly 340 million years.

During a survey of the site’s burial stones, the unexpected discovery of a neatly domed brachiopod, along with other fossils such as corals and crinoids, inspired Moycullen Heritage to further investigate the origin of the stone, its fossils, and its connection to the local limestone landscape known as An Taobh Mín.

We 'explore our foundations' by following the fossils around our community, learning what they tell us about our place, our people and the intrinsic link between natural and built heritage.

Our study, developed in line with the Heritage Week 2025 theme, has formed part of a collaborative project with the National Museum of Ireland, and our research will go on display in an exhibition at the Dead Zoo Lab, Collins Barracks from 29 September 2025.