Radiocarbon dating in the 1980s on several hazelnut shells and remaining wood from the find spot gave a more precise date of around 7390 80 BC.

A charred hazelnut shell, recovered during the excavations at Longhowe in 2007, has been dated to 6820-6660 BC.

The evidence consists of a large, shallow pit full of the remains of hundreds of thousands of burned hazelnut shells.

One of their cores close to Aghoose townland turned up hazelnut shells at a depth of 10.7 metres under the bay.

The significance of a number of hazelnut shells is they could likely be indicative of habitation during the Mesolithic period (some 9,000 years ago approx).

Carbonized hazelnut shells found there have been dated to the Mesolithic period at 7700-7500 BC.

A hazelnut shell hit me in the head; when I tried an almond, it blew to smithereens.

Numerous discarded hazelnut shells were found in the pits and used to carbon-date the site, the waste product of the inhabitants' staple food.

Another specialty is wonderfully fresh porcini roasted over hazelnut shells and served with a spring onion puree.

Already during those early campaigns thick layers of hazelnut shells were discovered in all dwelling sites.