Midden

The National Monuments Service's description

Located on the stony SW shoreline of the Rosses Point peninsula, on the N side of the mouth of Sligo Bay. Coney Island is 300m to S and Oyster Island 500m to SW in the bay. The midden is exposed on the S arm of a small dry dock, which dates to the modern era. The dry dock consists of a sandy-based, subrectangular area (c. 6-8m N−S; c. 12m E−W) which was dug out to create a sheltered resting place for boats, and is faced on the N and S sides by drystone walling.
The exposed portion of the midden is visible as a dense layer (L c. 6m E-W; D c. 0.5m) of oyster shells, with occasional cockle, whelk and periwinkle shells, intermixed with small stones/pebbles. The shells in the lower 0.2m of the layer appear more fragmentary. The full depth of the midden is unclear as the lower portion of the section face is obscured by the dry dock drystone walling (H 0.45m; Wth 0.6m). The original extent of the midden cannot be determined: at E it ends at the terminal of the dry dock; at W it disappears into a gently rising, grass-covered slope; the top of the section face is covered by a thick layer of humic soil and long grass, which extends for 4m to S where it meets the stony beach.

Notified to NMS by Eimear Healy

Attached images:
SL008-213----_01.JPG Location of midden on S arm of dry dock, viewed from N
SL008-213----_02.JPG Midden, viewed from NW
SL008-213----_03.JPG Close-up of shell layers

Compiled by: Jane O'Shaughnessy

Date of upload: 19 May 2020