- FADDAN BEG, CO. OFFALY, Offaly

Introduction
In March 1945 a number of human burials were discovered during ploughing of a field on a farm at Faddan Beg, Ferbane, Co. Offaly. The remains were found at a depth of 0.5–0.75m below the ground surface. Some of the remains were re-interred on the spot, and a ring was apparently found close to one of the burials. Accounts of the discovery differ. One states that the ring was on a finger of a skeleton, while the second states that the ring was found approximately ‘3 yards’ from the burials. The site was reported to the NMI through Mr Richard Duff, Dundrum, Dublin, who brought the ring to the Museum. An investigation was carried out the following February by Ellen Prendergast, accompanied by Mr Duff.

Location (Fig. 6.48)
The site is in the townland of Faddan Beg, near Ferbane, Co. Offaly.⁸¹ The field is known locally as ‘Andy’s hill’. No other sites are known in the immediate vicinity.

Description of site
According to Prendergast’s report the whole site had been heavily disturbed, but the landowner was able to indicate the area in which the bone was found. A number of bones were noticed directly under the ploughed soil. Prendergast also describes finding a finger bone on which verdigris was noticed. According to the landowner, the skeletons had lain side by side, fully extended, supine and facing east. There was no evidence of grave-cuts. The depth of topsoil varied from c. 0.1m to 0.75m over the burials. Prendergast uncovered the remains of eleven skeletons (1945:144.1–8), all of which appeared to have been extended. A bronze finger-ring (1945:144) was reportedly found with the burial in grave 1, which was immediately south of grave 2. To the west of these two were the remains of seven other burials, three complete and four partial. Grave 4 contained a fully extended and supine skeleton with the hands extended by the side. The feet do not appear to have been particularly close together. Grave 5 lay at a slight angle, with the head of the interred placed to the south-west and the feet to the north-east. Prendergast describes how a ‘smaller skeleton (in grave 6) lay “in confusion” with the pelvis of that in grave 5’, and it is possible that these were foetal bones. The skeleton in grave 7 was extended, supine and aligned westsouth-west/east-north-east. Some skull bone and leg bones (numbered skeleton 8) were found over the lower limbs of this skeleton. The burial in grave 9 consisted of a skull and some other bone fragments, but no other parts of the skeleton were found.

Comment
Owing to the badly disturbed nature of the site, details of the disposition of the burials are limited. The bronze penannular ring, probably a finger-ring, was found close to one of the skeletons. It was made from a narrow strip of bronze sheet. One end was cut into a V-shape while the other was V-shaped in outline so that both ends fitted together. Its maximum diameter was 2cm. The ring is undecorated and is not readily datable. In the absence of any other archaeological evidence the site is regarded as undated.

HUMAN REMAINS
R.G. INKSTER

Skeletons 1 and 2 (1945:114.1)
This group of bones is considerably broken. It includes the remains of at least three skeletons, as shown by parts of three skulls and three thigh bones. One of these is from a small adult, almost certainly female. One is from a child aged between six and twelve years (about nine years) old. The third is from another adult. There is also a piece of femur from a person under seventeen or eighteen years old and probably about fifteen years old.

Skeleton 3 (1945:144.2)
This handful of bones is the remains of a newborn child.

Skeleton[s] 4 (1945:144.3)
Most of these bones are from a small adult, probably a female in her early twenties and under 5ft in height (4ft 8 or 9in.). In addition there are limb bones from a child five or six years old. The skull of the older skeleton is also small and is in good condition, with a full set of teeth showing the usual wear but not caries.

Skeleton 5 (1945:144.4) This is from a young person about twenty years of age and almost certainly a small male. The height has been approximately 5ft 5in.

Skeleton[s] 6 (1945:144.5) These bones are mostly from an infant in its first year of life. Some hand bones from skeleton 5, beside which no. 6 was found.

Skeleton [s] 7 (1945:144.6)
These bones include the remains of at least two persons, one male of average height (about 5ft 7in.), the other smaller and probably female, to judge from the smallness of the head of the femur. The right thigh bone of the larger skeleton shows definite bony changes in the hip joint fusion.

The skull shows the usual high degree of wear on the crowns of the teeth and, what is unusual in specimens such as this, gaps where the teeth have been missing (at the back) during life and—even more unusual—large holes in two teeth, apparently owing to decay during life. The second pair of thigh bones may belong to skeleton 8, which was found in close proximity.

Skeleton 8 (1945:144.7)
These bones are a pair of tibiae, a kneecap, a thumb metatarsal, a medial cuneiform(?) from a left foot and a few pieces of skull. From the size of the leg bones the height of this male would be approximately 5ft 5in. to 5ft 7in.

Skeleton 9 (1945:144.8)
These pieces are mostly fragments of skull and include a young lower jaw with milk teeth still present along with developing permanent teeth. It is from a child two or three years old, certainly well below six years old.

81. Parish of Tisaran, barony of Garrycastle. SMR 014-053——. IGR 205681 222714.