1997:561 - TIPPERARY: Bohercrow Road, Murgasty, Tipperary

Test-trenching, for the OPW, in a field off Bohercrow Road at the rear of Tipperary PO took place in February. Five trenches were opened and of these only one, Trench 3, in the centre of the field at right angles to the southern boundary wall, revealed ma-terial of interest. Three skeletons with an east–west orientation were uncovered but no dating evidence was retrieved.

A second phase of investigation took place in October when further test-trenching took place. Three further trenches were opened and Trench 3 was extended northwards in an attempt to further define the area with burials, but no more were encountered.

At the same time the area of Trench 3 with burials was widened to enable their removal. In the process two more skeletons were uncovered and removed. Of the five burials, two were aligned roughly parallel to the church to the south of the southern boundary wall, while three had a more north-east/south-west orientation. Because the grave of one of the former group cut that of the latter, there may be some chronological significance in the different orientations. A single sherd of creamware retrieved from the chest area of a skeleton of the former group dates that group to the late 18th century or later.

An osteological report by Jennie Coughlan concluded that one of the skeletons was a young adult of indeterminate sex, one a middle-aged adult female, one a middle-aged adult of indeterminate sex, one a child of 2–3 years, while the age and sex of the fifth were impossible to determine. There were neither skeletal indicators as to cause of death nor evidence for a deficient diet.

Cragg, Birdhill, Co. Tipperary