County: Mayo Site name: BALLYGLASS
Sites and Monuments Record No.: N/A Licence number: —
Author: Mr Seán Ó Nualláin, Archaeology Section, Ordnance Survey, Dublin
Site type: Megalithic tomb - court tomb
Period/Dating: Neolithic (4000BC-2501 BC)
ITM: E 509658m, N 838115m
Latitude, Longitude (decimal degrees): 54.283833, -9.387413
First season’s excavation at a centre-court tomb in Ballyglass Townland, near Ballycastle, Co. Mayo. The fine oval court and the eastern gallery, which consisted of two burial chambers, were excavated, together with the entire southern side of the cairn. The base of a dry-stone wall kerb, running the full length of the structure was exposed, and outside this were a number of pits and trenches some at least of which may have been contemporary with the tomb. Finds included flint and chert, scrapers of various forms, a miniature chert lance head, and numerous sherds of pottery. The pottery, in general, was of Neolithic type, but several sherds of Beaker were found in the upper layers of the front chamber of the gallery.
