Cist

The National Monuments Service's description

Megalithic structure (LI032-045001-) and cist located in a field known locally as the 'altar field' and described in 1833 as following; 'Speaking of Lough Gur, Messrs. Fitzgerald and M. Gregor observe, “On Bailenalycailleah hill in this neighbourhood is a cromlech [LI032-046----], near which a stone coffin was found a few years since, with a human skeleton. At less than half a mile south of this are two others [LI032-045001-], one of which has been lately broken down by a farmer, who had two of the stones taken to make pillars for his gateway' (Croker 1833, 108).
A rescue excavation was carried out on the megalithic structure (LI032-045001-) in 1978 prior to agricultural land improvement works which would result in its removal (Cleary & Jones 1980, 3). Excavation revealed a polygonal cist of limestone slabs. The cist was uncovered 0.6m below the top sod and had been disturbed at some period when the capstone was removed. The cist contained the remains of an unburnt burial which had been interred in a flexed position, with the skull placed at N. The cist had disturbed an earlier cremated burial (ibid. 6).

Compiled by: Caimin O'Brien

Date of upload: 06 August 2019

References

Cleary, R. M. & Jones, C. 1980 A cist-burial at Ballynagallagh, near Lough Gur, Co. Limerick. North Munster Antiquarian Journal 22, 3-7.

Croker, T.C. 1833 Druidical remains near Lough Gur,
Co. Limerick. Gentleman's Magazine (February
1833), 105–12.