Barrow - bowl-barrow

The National Monuments Service's description

On the N-facing slope of a ridge in grassland. Described by Coffey (1904, 14-20), prior to his excavation in 1903, as a circular ‘tumulus’ that was ‘40 feet in diameter and 9 feet in height [diam. 12.2m; H 2.7m]’.
The excavation revealed that it was constructed of stones and earth with a layer of sandy soil at a depth of c. 0.9m. Beneath this layer, in the centre of the mound, lay the unprotected extended skeleton of an adult female whose head faced W. On one side, and to the S of the skeleton were a number of red deer bones and the skeleton of a horse. At the centre of the mound, on the old ground level, was an unprotected inverted cordoned urn containing cremated human bone, which rested on a flat slab (Waddell 1990, 93). When surveyed by Cody (1989, 152-3) it appeared as a disturbed circular inverted bowl-shaped mound with traces of a possible encircling fosse (Wth 2-3m; max. D 0.5m) on its W side. The E side had been partly removed, possibly as a result of the excavation. It was subsequently levelled and a barn was built on it. Probably a bowl-barrow. (Knox 1916c, 192-3 may also be referring to this mound; Waddell 1975, 16)

Compiled by: Galway Archaeological Survey, UCG

Date of upload: 12 November 2019

References

Waddell, J. 1990 The Bronze Age burials of Ireland. Galway University Press.

Waddell, J. 1975 The Bronze Age burials of County Galway. Journal of the Galway Archaeological and Historical Society 34, 5-20.

Cody, E. 1989 An archaeological survey of the barony of Athenry, Co. Galway. Unpublished MA thesis, University College Galway.

Coffey, G. 1904 On the excavation of a tumulus near Loughrea, Co. Galway. Proceedings of the Royal Irish Academy 25C, 14-20.

Knox, H.T. 1915-16 The Turoe Stone and the Rath of Feewore. Journal of the Galway Archaeologial and Historical Society, 9, 191-3.