Human ecology and Neolithic transition in eastern County Donegal, Ireland

The Lough Swilly Archaeological Survey Project took place in 1995 in the far north-west corner of Northern Ireland. Its principal aim was to test for cultural continuity across the transition from foraging to farming, i.e. from the Mesolithic to the Neolithic. Michael Kimball explains the background, methodology and aims of the project, the survey's finds and what they infer about the nature of human behaviour, settlement, the use and procurement of raw materials and the economy as a whole during this transition. The results of the LSAS Project highlight clear discontinuities in the study region, a finding that conflicts with research carried out in other areas of Ireland.