- RATHDUFF, CO. MAYO, Mayo

Introduction
In April 1941 a short cist containing a cremation was discovered during the sinking of stones in advance of ploughing on a farm near Ballina, Co. Mayo. The site is described as a ‘green mound on a little hill’, and when the grass was dug away the capstone of the cist was found. This was left exposed to rain that night and was visited by local people, including a journalist for the local newspaper and members of the Ballina Archaeological Society. The capstone of the cist was then replaced and a crop of wheat sown over the site. The site was reported to the NMI by the sister of the finder, Miss Ethel Davis. It does not appear that the site was investigated by NMI personnel, although correspondence on file suggests that Mr Michael Duignan²²⁵ intended to investigate it. The human remains were examined by Laureen Buckley.

Location
The site was in the townland of Rathduff, north-east Co. Mayo.²²⁶ According to the finder, it was in the middle of a field, under a small rise in ground level (possibly a mound) next to a field known as Gallows Hill. Apparently the site is ‘two fields’ from Rathduff Church in Rathduff townland, approximately 40m east of the eastern shore of Lough Conn and 5km south-west of Ballina.

Description of site
The grave was described as measuring 1.07m long by 0.61m wide by 0.46m deep and constructed of flat stones fitted into each other. The cist was covered by a capstone measuring 1.22m by 0.61m. No further information survives as to the structure of the cist. It contained the cremation of two individuals, one an adult and the other a juvenile or adolescent (1941:1384), which was exposed to the rain after it was discovered. No associated artefacts were found and there is no further information as to the position of the cremation within the cist.

Comment
The human remains from this site have not been dated. In the absence of any associated finds, it is assumed to be early Bronze Age in date, based on its form.

HUMAN REMAINS
LAUREEN BUCKLEY

Description of cremated remains
Sample 1941:1384 consisted of 996 fragments of cremated bone, weighing a total of 792g. The bone was slightly grey with dust and the larger fragments were encrusted with mineral deposits. The underlying colour seemed to be white. It was well-calcined bone and had numerous horizontal and longitudinal fissures. Although it is not the weight of a full cremation, the weight of bone recovered is quite high, considering that the cremation had been disturbed and the fragments probably collected by visitors to the site; it suggests that there had been at least one full adult cremation in the cist originally.

Table 3.62—Fragmentation of bone, 1941:1384.

Table 3.62 shows the fragmentation of the sample, with the largest fragment measuring 84mm. It can be seen that almost three-quarters of the sample consisted of very large fragments and that most of the sample is made up of large fragments more than 15mm in length. Very few small fragments were present. This is to be expected from the way the bone was collected. It is understandable that the more visible and recognisable larger fragments would be collected by non-archaeologists, and the smaller fragments were probably thought to be of no value. The smaller fragments now present in the sample were probably caused by the normal fragmentation that occurs when bone is handled. Since it is a relatively large sample, it is highly likely that the original cremation consisted of mainly larger fragments and was not deliberately crushed before interment.

Identifiable bone
The lack of crushing of the bone was reflected in the amount of bone that could be identified. A total of 459g (58% of the total bone) was identified (Table 3.63).

Table 3.63—Proportion of identified bone, 1941:1384.

Table 3.64 summarises the main parts of the skeleton identified. Thus it can be seen that the skull is overrepresented in this sample, as the proportion of skull is more than twice what it should be. The axial skeleton is underrepresented. In fact, only a small proportion of it remained. This is not surprising, as the vertebrae and ribs are very light, fragile bones that would break easily on disturbance; the small fragments would not look like real bone and therefore would not be picked up. The quantity of upper and lower limb bones is almost exactly as it should be.

Table 3.64—Summary of identified bone, 1941:1384.

Description of identifiable features of the bones

Skull
Fragments included a large section of the frontal bone with the crista frontalis visible. It was mainly the right side of the bone that was present, although there was another fragment from the left side of the same bone. Although part of the right frontal sinus was present, the supraorbital ridges were not visible. A fragment of the internal surface of another frontal bone with the crista frontalis visible was also present, as well as other fragments of squamous frontal bone. This second bone was thinner than the first bone (3.5mm) and may be from a young individual. There were several large fragments of parietal bone, including the left posterior part with the lambdoid suture present. It did not appear to be fused. Several large fragments of the squamous part of the occipital bone were present, 6.5mm thick. Part of the mastoid area of a temporal bone was present and there was also one petrous portion of a temporal bone. A fragment of the right zygomatic bone also survived.

Mandible and maxilla
A fragment from the left side of the body of the mandible from near the internal angle was present, and sockets for two permanent molars were visible. There were also two other fragments with partial tooth sockets and one right mandibular condyle. Two fragments of the maxilla were present but there were no tooth sockets.

Vertebrae
The dens articulation area of the first cervical vertebra was present, as well as the dens and one superior articular surface of the second cervical vertebra and a few articular surfaces from the lower cervical vertebrae. There were no fragments of thoracic or lumbar vertebrae.

Ribs
Several rib fragments from the shaft only were present, most of which consisted of slivers of bone only.
Pelvis
One large fragment of right ilium from just above the sciatic notch was present, and there were other fragments of ilium also.

Clavicle
The lateral third of a right clavicle was present.

Scapulae
Part of the left and the right acromial spines were present.

Humerus
All the fragments were shaft fragments, including some from the proximal half of the shaft.

Radius
All fragments were shaft fragments, including the distal halves of at least two radii.

Ulna
There were several fragments from both the proximal and distal halves of shaft.

Carpals, metacarpals and phalanges
One carpal bone, a lunate, was present, and there was at least a first and a second metacarpal shaft as well as the shafts of two others. There were also approximately eight almost complete Phalanges.

Femur
All the fragments were from the middle and distal shaft.

Tibia
All the fragments were shaft fragments, including several from the proximal end of the shaft. At least two bones were present, as two nutrient foramina were visible.

Fibula
Fragments of shaft, including some from the proximal end of the shaft, were identified.

Minimum number of individuals
There appear to be two individuals represented in this assemblage. One seems to be an adult and the other may be a juvenile or an adolescent.

Summary and conclusions
As this cist was probably disturbed and the bone was collected by non-archaeologists, the sample of 792g does not represent the full cremation. The bone appeared to be efficiently cremated although it had been covered subsequently with mineral deposits. Most of the sample consisted of very large fragments and this was probably because the larger fragments were deemed to be of more value when they were collected. The importance of the smaller fragments would not have been realised at the time; as a result there are no teeth fragments, no bones of the feet and very few vertebral fragments in the sample. It is not possible, therefore, to say whether or not the bones were crushed at the time of interment. It was possible to identify 58% of the sample and it appeared to represent the cremated remains of at least two individuals, an adult and an older juvenile or adolescent.

225. Later Professor of Archaeology at University College Galway.
226. Parish of Kilbelfad, barony of Tirawley. MA039-116——. Exact location not marked