County: Mayo Site name: BALLYGLASS
Sites and Monuments Record No.: N/A Licence number: —
Author: Mr. S. O Nuallain, Ordnance Survey of Ireland
Site type: Megalithic tomb - court tomb and House - Neolithic
Period/Dating: Neolithic (4000BC-2501 BC)
ITM: E 522656m, N 777364m
Latitude, Longitude (decimal degrees): 53.740173, -9.172396
The excavations at Ballyglass, Co. Mayo, in 1971, were a continuation of the work, which commenced with the investigation of the centre-court tomb, Ma. 13, in 1969. Last season the foundations of a timber house were uncovered beneath the western end of the cairn of the tomb and this year’s work was concerned mainly with the excavation of this house and its environs.
The house was found to be rectangular in outline and measured approximately 13m long (NW-SE) and 6m wide (NE-SE). The walls are represented by foundation trenches, 25-50cm wide and approximately 20cm in depth,which seem to be the principal structural components of the house. A few postholes outside the walls probably represent stays.
The entrance appears to have been at the northwestern end of the house. There was no foundation trench across this end of the structure, which was marked by a line of five postholes. The entrance would appear to have been between two post holes at the western corner of the house and here, a short trench, parallel to the south western wall of the house and 1.50m from it, indicate an internal passage about 1.5m long. About 3m inside the front of the structure is a second line of post holes crossing the width of the house and 1.5m beyond this again is a third line of post holes.
Beyond the third line of postholes is a compartment some 5m long, which appears to have been the principal room of the house. No internal postholes were found here. The southeastern end of this room was marked by a foundation trench containing four post holes. This separated the main part of the house from a narrow compartment, about 1.5m wide, at its southeastern end. The south western wall and the southern portion of the end wall of this compartment were represented by foundation trenches but elsewhere the wall was marked by a shallow black band of soil, apparently indicating some form of light and perhaps moveable screen.
The foundation trenches contained many small stones, apparently used as footings for the wall timbers. Numerous small fragments of timber were recovered from the trenches and some fragments were also found in the postholes. The postholes, in some instances, retained their packing stones and all appear to have been deliberately blocked with stones and soil. Some were concealed by till or 'daub'. It is difficult to avoid the conclusion that the house was intentionally demolished to make way for the construction of a tomb.
Numerous sherds of pottery were recovered from the wall trenches and others were found in the postholes. All were of Neolithic wares similar to those found in the court tombs. Flint and chert artifacts were found in the vicinity of the house but it is difficult to know whether many of these are to be associated with the house or with the tomb. Fire-reddened areas of clay were found within the principal room and in the compartment at the southeastern end of the house.
A number of pits in the end chamber of the north western gallery, probably associated with the house and other pits, found at the to the tomb court, may also be related to the house.
An extensive system of agricultural ridges was unearthed in the vicinity of the principal excavation and, while these are likely to prove ancient, they are certainly later in date than either house or tomb. A peculiar slab-lined structure found among these ridges may be some form of well but produced no artifacts.
