Cist

The National Monuments Service's description

The ASI have recorded the presence of a Cist Grave in the townland of Garhy, c.3.5km west of Castletown Geoghegan, Co. Westmeath. This report seeks to clarify the actual position of the Cist as well as providing a short description of same with references. The Cist Grave known locally as ‘The Warrior’s Grave’, was described by Thomas Shaw (1921, 145) and more recently by Jim McCormack and Oliver Hussey (1990). It lies on the summit of a small, rounded hillock at the south end of a pasture field. There are wide views from the hummock to the west, north and east. The location of the cist as currently plotted on the Historic Environment Viewer (19.12.23) is somewhat inaccurate: its actual location is clearly visible on the MapGenie 2013-2018 aerial imagery at ITM 630607, 743805.  The visible remains comprise a large, roughly rectangular, sandstone slab 1.65m in length, 1m in width and 0.12 to 0.2m in thickness, its long axis running east and west. Its upper surface is heavily scarred and stands 0.15m to 0.25m above the surrounding field. The slab rests on at least four side-stones which define a rectangular chamber filled with clay and stones to within 0.25m of the roof. The side-stone on the north side is clearly visible on the ground surface, suggesting that the slab is slightly displaced.  McCormack and Hussey (1990, 79) recorded that the grave ‘was opened in 1969, but it was found that it had been interfered with [sic.]’.
 

Compiled by Caimin O’Brien based on report submitted by archaeologist Paul Gosling.
 
Date of Compilation: 10 November 2025

References

Shaw, T.J. 1921 Some Notes regarding Slemain Midhe, the Probable Site of the Battlefield of Gairech andIlgairech, and Other Places in West-Meath Referred to in the Táin Bo Cúailgne. Journal of the Royal Society of Antiquaries of Ireland, 11, 133-146.

McCormack, J. and Hussey, O. 1990 The Warrior’s Grave and Garhy. In Our local history: Streamstown, Horseleap & Boher. Boher: SS. Peter’s & Paul’s Foroige, 79.