Cist

The National Monuments Service's description

One of two short cists (see SL046-003003-) found in the SE quadrant of a ring-cairn (SL046-003001-) (Wallace 1974, 23-4), both of which were covered by a thin layer of cairn stones and revetted by a low crescent-shaped setting of small orthostats. Excavation revealed a rectangular cist, built of sandstone slabs with other slabs flanking N and E sides, and capped by a simple capstone. This cist had three floors, each consisting of a horizontal layer of large flat sandstone paving stones. The lowermost floor covered a deposit of hazelnuts arranged in a pit, on top of and partly surrounded by cremated human bone. The main burial was that of a child and was found on the topmost floor accompanied by two sherds of food-vessel pottery. The second cist was found a short distance to the SW. (Waddell 1990, 133; Ó Ríordáin and Waddell 1993, 131)

The above description is derived from the published 'Archaeological Inventory of County Sligo' compiled by Ursula Egan, Elizabeth Byrne, Mary Sleeman with Sheila Ronan and Connie Murphy (Dublin Stationery Office, 2005).

Date of upload: 18 January 2008