County: Kildare Site name: KILGOWAN, CO. KILDARE
Sites and Monuments Record No.: SMR KD032-054 Licence number: —
Author: MARY CAHILL
Site type: Graves of indeterminate date
Period/Dating: —
ITM: E 682781m, N 704882m
Latitude, Longitude (decimal degrees): 53.088116, -6.764214
In May 1984 human remains were discovered during road-widening near Kilcullen, Co. Kildare. The gravel ridge in which the discoveries were made is a continuation of the ridge in which early Bronze Age burials had previously been found.27 The Kilcullen to Carlow road cuts through this ridge, which was being removed in order to build a new road. Because the gravel was being removed vertically, the skeletons had been removed from their original position and were noticed by the lorry driver rather than the bulldozer driver. The discovery was reported to the NMI by the Garda Síochána at Kilcullen and the site was visited by Mary Cahill.
Location (Fig. 6.18)
The site was in the townland of Kilgowan in south County Kildare, approximately 4km south of Kilcullen town.28 In 1986 a report was received that a long cist cemetery was being bulldozed at Kilgowan, Co. Kildare. The report was dealt with by the National Monuments Service.29
Description of site
The human remains had been removed from their original context and there was no evidence of grave structure. As the finders did not mention the presence of slabs, it is likely that these were unprotected burials.
Comment
As the burials had been removed from their context it was not possible to ascertain their original location. The remains were analysed by Buckley and found to represent a minimum
of four individuals (1984:121). There was no evidence available to date this site.
HUMAN REMAINS
LAUREEN BUCKLEY
Introduction
The bones (1984:121) consisted mainly of skull fragments and leg bones only; as they were disarticulated and out of context, they are listed below with a brief description.
Skull
There were three fragments of calvarium present. One section consisted of the left side of a frontal bone and part of a left parietal bone fused at the coronal suture. The suture was almost obliterated and the skull was 5.6mm thick.
Another fragment of a left parietal bone from near the posterior part was present and was 8.7mm thick.
The third fragment was so badly decayed on both the outer and inner surfaces that it was difficult to identify but it was probably also parietal bone.
Pelvis
Part of a left ilium and part of a left ischium in one piece, with the complete acetabulum, were present. The sciatic notch was not complete and the sex could not be determined.
Femur
The shaft of a left femur and the proximal two-thirds of a right femur were present. The epiphyseal line was still visible at the head of the right femur so it was probably from a young adult, but the sex could not be estimated as the diameter of the head fell between the parameters for male and female.
Table 6.7—Summary of femur measurements
Tibiae
A minimum of four left tibiae and two right tibiae were present. One of the left tibiae was almost complete but the proximal end was missing. There was an almost complete shaft from another left tibia and two other left tibiae consisting of mid- and upper shafts only. The distal two-thirds portion of a right tibia was present, as well as the complete shaft of another right Tibia.
Table 6.8—Summary of tibia measurements.
The difference in size of the two left tibiae may indicate that they are from a male and a female individual. As the joint surfaces of the smaller bone were not observable, however, it cannot be ascertained that the epiphyses had fused and this bone may in fact be from an Adolescent.
Summary and conclusions
The bone from this site was all disarticulated as it had fallen out of a gravel ridge. There was a minimum of four individuals present, based on the number of left tibiae. At least three of these were adults but one may have been an adolescent. At least one individual was a young adult aged less than 25 years. From the fusion of the suture of the skull, one individual may have been an older adult. It was not possible to determine the sex of any of the individuals.
27. In 1938 and 1939 a small cemetery was excavated; one burial contained a simple bowl (Waddell 1990, 98).
28. Parish of Kilgowan, barony of Kilcullen. SMR KD032-054——. IGR 282849 204850.
29. Human and animal remains from this site were acquired by the NMI; 1986:114.
