I'm not sure what Mr. X's qualifications are, but as I am a professional archaeologist, I feel that I should reply to you.
Your point about the difficulty of getting
up-to-date information is a very valid one. We often forget that people
approaching archaeology for the first time
often don't know where to look, and
may end up reading an obsolete source.
Your colleague, Seamus, has been led
badly astray in one respect. Ollamh Fodhla, supposedly king in 1335 BC,
is a creation of some mediaeval monk. A
recent book on early Irish history begins
with the line: 'The first reliable date in Irish history is AD431'. This
refers to St. Patrick, of course. The monks who
wrote the annals of Ireland in later
centuries extended them back to the Creation. Most of this was fictional,
and although few names and events may have
some basis in fact we cannot be sure.
Before the 5th Century AD (and indeed for the first few centuries after
it) we are dependent on archaeology. The
Loughcrew tombs were excavated long
before radiocarbon dating was invented, but the dates are likely to be
closer to 3335 than 1335 BC.
The other contentious statement, that
the tombs were not intended as burial chambers, may be based on a misunderstanding.
It is realised nowadays that in
view of the ritual and calendrical functions
of these monuments their builders _may_ not have seen them _primarily_
as tombs, but burial was obviously an
important part of their function.
I would recommend the following books for up-to-date information on ancient Ireland:
For the prehistoric period in general
(including the megalithic tombs):
_The Prehistoric Archaeology of Ireland_,
by John Waddell (1998)
For the Iron Age, and the question of
the origin of the Irish Celts:
_Pagan Celtic Ireland_, by Barry Raftery
(1994).
For the early mediaeval period (formerly
called Early Christian):
_Early Medieval Ireland 400-1200_, by
Daibhi O Cronain (1995). This is
history rather than archaeology: for
buildings and artifacts I would
recommend _The Archaeology of Early
Mediaeval Ireland_ by Nancy Edwards
(1990).
Thaddeus C. Breen