County: Westmeath Site name: Killinlahan, Co. Westmeath
Sites and Monuments Record No.: SMR WM032-079SMR WM032-080 Licence number: —
Author: —
Site type: Graves ofindeterminate date
Period/Dating: —
ITM: E 35424m, N 41293m
Latitude, Longitude (decimal degrees): 53.416000, -7.470000
In February 1961 human remains were discovered during the digging of foundations for a house at Killinlahan, near Castletown Geoghegan, Co. Westmeath.293 A human skull was noticed protruding from the edge of a trench at a depth of c. 1m below ground level. On instruction from the coroner, the bones were exhumed by Dr Kelly, Tyrellspass. They were identified as human and the presence of teeth and limb bones was noted. The remains were retained by the Gardaí. According to their report, a ringfort was located close to the site, which was reputed to be an old graveyard. No details as to the disposition of the remains are known, and as no further digging was to be done for the foundation no further remains were unearthed.
Although the townland name is Killinlahan, it was known locally in the Anglicised form as Broadwood, and this may indicate that the remains were discovered near Broadwood House, where an enclosure is marked on the SMR294 just west of Broadwood Cottage. A ringfort is noted a little to the south-west.295
293. Parish of Castletownkindalen, barony of Moycashel. SMR WM032-114——. The townland adjoins Ballybrennan townland, where an early Bronze Age cemetery was excavated by Prendergast and Raftery (Vol. 1, pp 484–501).
294. SMR WM032-079. IGR 235424 241293.
295. SMR WM032-080. IGR 235359 241178.
