Exclusive: Up to 100 Skeletal Remains Found At Site Off The Dublin Road In Naas

The site, known locally as Gallows Glen, lies just one kilometre from Naas Town Hall and adjoins the Kings Furze estate.

Kfm has learned that up to 100 skeletal remains have been unearthed at a site off the Dublin Road in Naas, in what is being described as one of the most significant historical discoveries in recent memory.

The site, known locally as Gallows Glen, lies just one kilometre from Naas Town Hall and adjoins the Kingsfurze residential estate. 

The remains, understood to have been discovered during construction work for new housing, have since been excavated and transferred to Cork for forensic examination.

It is understood that almost all of the skeletons recovered were those of men and some youths. 

No grave markings, timber boxes, or religious artifacts were found, suggesting burials carried out without ceremony or identification.

There is no historical record of the site ever having served as a community graveyard. Instead, the findings point to Gallows Glen being both a place of execution and burial - potentially linked to the 1798 Rebellion.

Following the failed attack on Naas Jail in 1798, dozens of rebels were reportedly captured and “disappeared.” 

Local historians have long speculated about their final resting place, but until now, no burial site had been confirmed.

“It’s a significant discovery,” Cllr Seamie Moore, Mayor of Naas said. “The area was known as Gallows Glen for a reason - it was a place where people were hanged. Many who vanished after 1798 were never accounted for."

Cllr Moore revealed that one of the first clues emerged around 40 years ago, when a local homeowner unearthed part of a skeleton while building on the same site. 

Work on the current housing development has been halted pending full archaeological investigation. 

Cllr Moore suggested that the remains, once analysed, should be reinterred with honour at St Corban’s Cemetery in Naas.

He has also requested that the findings and autopsy results be made publicly available through Kildare County Council’s historical archives.

The forensic analysis is expected to confirm the age, cause of death, and potential era of those buried in what is rapidly emerging as a mass grave of major historical significance.