County: Kilkenny Site name: COOLGRANGE, CO. KILKENNY,
Sites and Monuments Record No.: SMR KK019-112SMR KK019-006KK019-007KK019-008 Licence number: E1098
Author: RAGHNALL Ó FLOINN
Site type: Graves of indeterminate date
Period/Dating: —
ITM: E 649253m, N 657993m
Latitude, Longitude (decimal degrees): 52.670868, -7.271760
Introduction
On the morning of 25 January 1988 human remains were discovered during quarrying operations at Talbot’s Inch, Co. Kilkenny. The find was reported to the Garda Síochána at Kilkenny, who informed the NMI. The site was visited by Raghnall Ó Floinn. The quarry had been worked sporadically for approximately 100 years but no previous discoveries of human remains had been noted. At the time of Ó Floinn’s investigation most of the east side of the ridge had been removed. On arrival the bones lay as they had been discovered, on the gravel scree at the base of the quarry, but the original location of the burial must have been close to the crest of the ridge. The human remains were examined by Laureen Buckley.
Location (Fig. 6.23)
The site was in the townland of Coolgrange in east County Kilkenny, approximately 2km north-west of Kilkenny City.38 It consists of a low gravel ridge, running approximately north/south and rising at its maximum to approximately 9m above the level of the surrounding field. The site lay at an altitude of 70–80m above sea level. Adjacent sites marked on the SMR include a ringfort in Raheennagun townland and two enclosures in Lousybush and Talbotsinch townlands respectively.39
Description of site
The bones were found on gravel scree at the base of the quarry face. There was no indication of any stone lining in the grave, nor was there any trace of a grave-pit in the area from which the burial was thought to have come. The burial consisted of an inhumation and no artefacts were found in the vicinity of the bones. The bones comprised a cranium, mandible, vertebraeand arm bones of an adult female (1988:1). As no further bones came to light, it would appear that the remains found represented the western extremity of a burial aligned east/west and therefore that the head was placed to the west.
Comment
In the absence of associated finds or other dating evidence this burial must be regarded as
Undated.40
HUMAN REMAINS
LAUREEN BUCKLEY
Description of skeleton
The cranium was virtually complete and in one piece, with just the left facial bones missing. The mandible was complete apart from the condyles. Only the first two cervical vertebrae remained from the vertebral column. The left scapula was almost complete but part of the acromion was missing. The proximal end was missing from the left humerus, and the distal half of the left radius was present. The only other bone present was the right ulna, which was missing its distal end.
Age and sex
The mastoid processes appeared to be large, but other features of the skull, such as the external occipital protuberance, the supraorbital ridges, the orbital rim, the root of the zygomatic arch and the mental eminence of the mandible, were all of the female type. It was not possible to take any bone measurements that might be useful to help determine sex but the bones had a long, slender appearance. Since most of the features of the skull are of the female type, this is probably a female individual. It is not uncommon for skulls to have a mixture of male and female characteristics, and mastoid processes in females can become larger and more like the male type with increasing age. It was difficult to age this individual without the pelvis or ribs available. There were a number of teeth lost ante-mortem and the remaining teeth had moderate to heavy wear, so it was probably a late middle adult or older individual.
Non-metric traits
The metopic suture was retained.
Skeletal pathology
There was mild cribra orbitalia present in both orbits. This may be caused by iron-deficiency anaemia. There was some degeneration of the joint between the first and second cervical vertebrae, with severe osteophytic lipping around the articulation area for the dens on C1.
Dentition
Ante-mortem loss: at least four teeth had been lost during life. All of the teeth were molars but there was no indication of the reason for the tooth loss. There was no evidence for caries but there was some recession of the alveolar bone, indicating periodontal disease.
Attrition: there was heavy wear on the molars, upper right first premolar and lower left first premolar. The remaining teeth had moderate attrition.
Calculus: there were heavy calculus deposits on the lingual surfaces of the teeth in the right side of the mandible.
Periodontal disease: alveolar recession was slight around the incisors, canines and lower first molars. It was moderate around the roots of the right mandibular molars and second premolar, the left lower second premolar and the upper premolars. There was considerable recession around the upper molars and the lower left first molar.
Hypoplasia: linear enamel hypoplasia was noted on the lower right central incisor and the lower left first premolar.
Summary
This appears to be the incomplete upper half of a skeleton of a female, at least middle-aged or older. There was evidence of possible iron-deficiency anaemia during childhood and some degeneration of the joints of the vertebral column. A number of teeth had been lost during life and there were heavy calculus deposits on most of the remaining teeth, associated with periodontal disease.
38. Parish of St Canice, barony of Crannagh. SMR KK019-112——. IGR 249314 157950.
39. SMR KK019-006——, KK019-007—— and KK019-008——.
40. The landowner, Michael Brannigan, mentioned that one of his workmen found what he termed a ‘chisel’ on the site that is now in Rothe House Museum
