Here, about 2.5 metres below the dune’s summit, the eroding southern slope reveals a thin band of shells embedded in distinctively grey sand. This modest layer, stretching at least 1.4 metres long though only about 5 centimetres thick, contains the remnants of mussels, clams, periwinkles and limpets; the everyday harvest of those who once lived along this shore.

The shell midden, as archaeologists call such deposits, stands out sharply against the pale sand that characterises these dunes. Its dark matrix of grey sand suggests repeated use of this spot for processing or discarding shellfish, creating a concentrated archaeological record of past meals and maritime subsistence. Though weathering and erosion have left the layer degraded and gapped, with only intermittent traces visible further east, its presence speaks to the broader human story of this dune system.

This isn’t an isolated find; the midden forms part of a larger archaeological landscape within these windswept dunes. Just metres to the west lies an ancient burial, whilst 90 metres away in the same dune system, archaeologists have documented a hut site and a cluster of six cairns. Together, these features paint a picture of sustained human activity along this stretch of Donegal coastline, where communities once made their homes amongst the dunes, gathering shellfish from the rocky shores and leaving behind these tantalising traces of their daily lives.