- BALLICKMOYLER, CO. OFFALY, Offaly

Introduction
In September 1961 a short cist containing a cremation and an inhumation was discovered during the digging of sand near Clara, Co. Offaly. One of the side stones of the cist became visible in the sandbank as the sand was being vertically removed. The capstone lay just under the sod and the layer of soil that covered the sand, approximately 0.15m below the surface. The cist was reported to the Garda Síochána at Clara, who informed the NMI of the find. An excavation was carried out on 19 September by Ellen Prendergast. The human remains were examined by Professor J.B. Coakley. This report is based on Prendergast’s sketches and report of the site and on Coakley’s report on the human remains. A cemetery of unprotected inhumation graves was excavated by Donald Murphy in the adjacent townland in 1997 and 1998.²⁶¹ It was not possible to date these burials (Murphy 1998; 2000).

Location (Fig. 3.145)
The site was in the townland of Ballickmoyler, north Co. Offaly, just 10m west of the border with County Westmeath.²⁶² It was approximately 3km north-east of Clara town, in a limestone gravel ridge at an altitude of 70–80m above sea level. No sites of early Bronze Age date are known from this townland, but a cemetery containing at least one early Bronze Age cremation, a number of extended inhumations and a ring-ditch were excavated by Raghnall Ó Floinn in Lehinch townland, approximately 1km south of the site (this volume, pp 386–93).

Description of site
The cist was rectangular in plan, with its long axis aligned east/west. It measured 0.7m long by 0.55m wide by 0.5m high internally. It was formed of four main flagstones, one at each side. As the flagstones were not closely fitted at the corners, smaller packing stones were used from the outside to seal off the cist. The southern side was sealed by a shorter flag, which overlapped the main side slab (this was the first stone of the cist to be discovered). At the north-west corner two separate stones were used to block up the corner, the outer one sloping into the gap at the top and the thinner one placed upright across the angle of the corner but not abutting on any of the other stones. The top of the cist was sealed by a large capstone, 1.1m long by 0.9m wide by 0.15m thick. This stone completely covered the cist underneath. The floor of the cist was not paved but consisted of compacted gravel. The pit dug to receive the cist was not identified.
The cist contained a crouched burial of an adult female (1961:229) and the cremated remains of an adult (1961:228). No artefacts were found in the cist. The inhumation was articulated when found and lay crouched on its right side, with the head at the east end and the knees drawn up to the chest. The cremation was placed over the thoracic region of the skeleton. Other interments of cremation and inhumation include Conranstown, Co. Westmeath, Oldtown, Co. Kildare, Carrowntober East, Co. Galway, and Ballybrennan, Co. Westmeath (Waddell 1990, 20; this volume, pp 484–501)

Comment
The human remains from this site have not been dated. The site is assumed to be early Bronze Age on the basis of its form. The excavator noted that she was not able to determine whether or not the two burials had been interred at the same time but, owing to the weight of the capstone, considered it more likely that they were deposited together.

HUMAN REMAINS
J.B. COAKLEY

1961:229
The remains of at least one [inhumed] skeleton.²⁶³ The skeletal remains are human and are those of an adult female.

Skull
The right side of the skull is in fairly good condition. Part of the left frontal, parietal, temporal, zygomatic, maxillary and sphenoid bones are missing. Owing to the absence of a portion of the left of the skull it is not possible to give any of the indices. The left side of the body of the mandible is fragmented, and the ramus is missing. Twenty-three teeth were present at death, fourteen in maxillae and nine in mandible. All teeth show great wear. The body of the mandible on the right side shows signs of disease of the alveolar margin. The skullshows strong female characters, and the age is estimated at 40+ years.

Vertebrae
Fragments of three cervical, six thoracic and five lumbar.

Sacrum
Left side fragmented, lower end missing.

Sternum
Body and manubrium.

Ribs
Numerous fragments.

Upper limb
Fragments of right scapula, right clavicle, right and left humerus, right and left ulna and radius, and right and left hand bones.

Lower limb
Fragments of right and left os coxae (showing strong female characters), right and left femur, right and left tibia and fibula, and right and left foot bones.

The upper and lower limb bones show female characters. The right femur gives a stature of about 60 inches [1.52m].

261. Excavation 1998E286.
262. Parish of Kilbride, barony of Kilcoursey. The townland was marked as Ballicknahee by Prendergast, but the location seems in fact to be in Ballickmoyler townland (see map). The site is listed in the SMR in Ballicknahee townland as OF008-048——. IGR 229002 234031.
263. Professor Coakley did not report on the cremation, which may not have been submitted owing to the small quantity.