1999:311 - ORANMORE (Site 28), Galway

During topsoil removal on the Galway-Oranmore sewerage scheme, five stone-lined features were detected. The top of each one was no more than 0.3m beneath the current ground level, and limestone was prevailing. Before excavation, all lay in rocky scrub, and all were close enough to the shores of Oranmore Bay to be affected by very high tides. Four of the features were within 60m of each other at most, with the fifth 400m away to the north.

All features were lined or partly lined by limestone slabs set on edge. All incorporate rock outcrop into some part of their construction. In addition, all their component stones had been heavily burned, while the clay inside these cist-like features, and immediately outside them in many cases, had also been severely baked. Another feature common to all five was part of the internal subdividing line of stones, running parallel to the sides of the 'cists'.

'Cist' no. 1 extended for 7m north-south, measured 2.1 east-west overall and extended to a depth of 0.5m. A foundation trench set in gravel was clearly evident for the north and south side-walls. At its north end the 'cist' opened into an irregular pit full of loose clay, yellow daub and burnt red clay. Finds included one chert scraper from near the upper levels, and some charcoal, shell and baked clay. It appears that the central part of the 'cist' was subjected to the most intense heat.

'Cist' no. 2 was nearly 6m long north-east/south-west by 1.2m wide at most. It had been constructed both against and over some rock outcrop, and the ground it lay on sloped gently to south-west. A small, shallow, stone-lined box c. 1m across was built over a sheet of rock against the north-west side of the structure. This 'cist' contained baked clay, charcoal, shell and burnt bone in very small amounts, and these are currently being analysed. The area outside the south-west end contained slight hollows in which some animal bone and teeth were found; these may not be associated with the 'cist'.

'Cist' no. 3 was just 3m to the west of no. 2. Rather poorly preserved, it was aligned north-east/south-west for 4.2m and was 1.4m wide at most. While it contained further charcoal and baked clay, it was shallow, never exceeding 0.28m deep. It was built into rocky, gravelly ground and sloped gently to the south-west. Rock outcrop was most evident at the north-east and south-west ends, beneath some central side-stones.

'Cist' no. 4 was 3m north-west/south-east by 1.5m wide and was the deepest of all at 0.55m. Natural rock formed part of the north-west side and enclosed its south-east side, while it was open to the north-west. While it contained the usual contexts, it also held a large, irregular boulder that had a hole dug for its reception and that had some side-stones of the 'cist' built over it. A number of finds from this included a chert thumbnail scraper, and small amounts of burnt bone and waste flakes.

'Cist' no. 5 ran for 4.35m north-west/south-east and averaged 1.1m wide. This site was furthest from the other four and contained less naturally occurring outcrop. Deposits in its body included baked clay, gravel and lime, while at the north-west end burnt shell, charcoal and further burnt clay were found.

All five 'cists' had parts of their floors formed of a hard, mortar-type substance, also created by the heat. While all five contain some form of internal subdividing line, all of these were set at a slightly higher level to the stones in the sides of the 'cists'. No dates have been returned yet. The intense heat generated here indicates the possibility of crematoria; analysis of the bone may strengthen this.

Whatever the dating of the bones, this area is one that supported intense prehistoric activity, evidenced by a vast array of lithics from around the sites. These included 22 mostly good-quality chert scrapers and three arrowheads of chert. Within 100m of the site, to the south, a polished stone axehead fragment was found in the same landscape.

One unenclosed area of intense burning was found roughly equidistant from four 'cists'. It contained a spread of yellow and red baked clay with one large, heat-stained, irregular stone near the centre. Soil analysis and lithics reports are being prepared, and crude baked clay/pottery from around the site was also sent for analysis.

110 Cimín Mór, Bearna, Galway