Cist

The National Monuments Service's description

Located on the SE side of a gravel ridge in Kinard townland, overlooking a bend in the Deel River. Nephin Mountain looms on the S horizon.
This short rectangular slab-built cist (int. dims. 1.3m N-S; 0.76m E-W; D 0.58m) was first uncovered in 1930 during land reclamation works, at a depth of c. 0.4m below ground surface. It was reburied at that time, but was exposed again in 1934, when it was recorded (Cahill and Sikora 2011, 329-332).
The box-like grave was constructed with four edge-set side slabs, two on each side, with a single upright slab closing each short end. It was roofed with two capstones, with their smooth surfaces facing inward, and the floor was roughly paved with small shale slabs. It contained an inhumed burial, probably in a crouched position with head toward the S end of the cist. The skeletal remains were poorly preserved, but analysis determined that they belong to a young adult, possibly female, aged between 17-25 years at time of death. The burial was accompanied by fragments of two mussel shells, and a vase food vessel, which was in the SW corner. The small tripartite vase (H 7.8cm; ext. rim diam. 9.5cm; base diam. c. 5cm), now in the National Museum (1935:16), was recovered in a fragmentary condition. It is decorated with panels of incised zig-zag, horizontal lines, and rows of small depressions, and one perforated lug is intact. Radiocarbon analysis of a bone sample yielded a date of 3560+/-40 BP, calibrated to 2024-1772 BC, dating the burial to the Bronze Age. (Cahill and Sikora 2011, 329-332).

Compiled by: Jane O'Shaughnessy

Date of upload: 14 August 2019

References

Cahill, M. and Sikora, M. (eds) (2011) Breaking ground, finding graves - reports on the excavations of burials by the National Museum of Ireland, 1927-2006. Two Volumes. Dublin, Wordwell Ltd. In association with the National Museum of Ireland.