Knowth graffiti artists leave writing on the wall

A new book on the ancient megalithic site at Knowth in Co Meath reveals graffiti was an issue over a thousand years ago.

Knowth and its Hinterland, the fourth in a series of volumes on Knowth and the wider Brú na Bóinne site, traces the history of settlement and society in the area from the emergence of political power in the 10th century up to the modern era.

Excavations that began at Knowth in 1962 under the direction of Professor George Eogan have uncovered 18 satellite tombs around the great mound. Over 200 stones bearing megalithic inscriptions were found.

The latest research details the discovery of a mixture of ogham scratchings and doodles in early Christian script on stones that line some of the underground passages and chambers.

One of the book's authors, Francis John Byrne, professor emeritus of early Irish history at University College Dublin, said the marks were obviously "vandalism or graffiti".

It is believed they date from between 700 and 750AD when Knowth underwent a refurbishment and became the royal residence for the Brega kingdom. A number of the smaller satellite tombs around the main mound were destroyed at this time, leaving them open to attack by vandals.

Professor Byrne has described the inscriptions, which contain about 20 names, as "rather artistic". It is not known if the graffiti was the work of a single culprit or if there were several involved. He said they were obviously written by a literate scribe or scribes, who were Irish and not Viking invaders.

Most were written the type of long, angular script found in the type in the Book of Armagh, while some were in written in the more rounded characters found in the Book of Kells, he said.

Minister for the Environment John Gormley, who launched the book last night, said the discovery of graffiti proves "some things never seem to change".

Knowth is part of the megalithic Brú na Bóinne complex that also includes Dowth and Newgrange. The area is a Unesco World Heritage site.

Historical Knowth and its Hinterlandis edited by FJ Byrne, William Jenkins, Gillian Kenny and Catherine Swift, with an introduction by Professor George Eogan. It is published by the Royal Irish Academy in association with the Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government.