Cist

The National Monuments Service's description

Located on a rise in the middle of a plateau bounded by the Goulaun River on one side and by the steep rise of Letterkeen Hill on the other, in an area of mountainous and boggy terrain.
This cist was excavated (E000015) in 1950 by Ó 'Ríordáin and Mac Dermott (1950-51, 92-93). It consisted of a short, sub-rectangular slab-lined cist (0.65m NE-SW; 0.55m NW-SE; D c. 0.45m), with the floor cobbled with rounded pebbles, and roofed with a single capstone (1.4m x 1m). Cremated bones were found within the fill of loose sandy clay, and two pottery vases, placed mouth down on the floor, covered small quantities of cremated bone. The bones included human bones of two adults, and a child of about 14 years, and also some animal bones. The cist underlay c. 0.4m of stony material associated with a possible burial cairn (MA046-004001-). Two other cists (MA046-004002-; MA046-004004-) and two pit burial (MA046-004005-; MA046-004006-) were also found. All were dated to the Bronze Age. At a later period, these features were overlain by a rath (MA046-004007-).

Compiled by: Jane O’Shaughnessy

Date of upload: 9 April 2019

References

Ó Ríordáin, S.P. and Mac Dermott, M. 1950-1 The excavation of a ringfort at Letterkeen, Co. Mayo. Proceedings of the Royal Irish Academy 54, 89-119