County: Sligo Site name: CARROWROE
Sites and Monuments Record No.: N/A Licence number: 01E1177
Author: Frank Ryan, on behalf of Mary Henry Archaeological Services Ltd.
Site type: Cremation pit
Period/Dating: Bronze Age (2200 BC-801 BC)
ITM: E 568736m, N 833433m
Latitude, Longitude (decimal degrees): 54.248791, -8.479711
The site was exposed during test-trenching of the proposed Sligo Inner Relief Road (see No. 1176, Excavations 2001, 01E0942). It comprised two probable stake-holes, a pit containing cremated bone and a second pit, extending under the baulk of the test-trench, which also contained cremated bone. A third pit consisted of loose dark fill, cremated bone and the complete rim of a small pot. This pit had been partially truncated by the digger, exposing the pottery vessel.
A licence was sought to excavate this pit only, because of the danger of causing damage to the exposed vessel during backfilling of the site. The excavation revealed a circular pit, 350mm in diameter at the top and 220mm in depth. The cut of the pit comprised almost vertical sides, which curved to a flat base. The pit contained a large quantity of sizeable pieces of cremated bone. A pigmy cup was placed upright amongst the bones. Charcoal-rich soil overlay the pot and was mixed within the fill of the pit. Sherds of pottery from the rim of the pigmy cup were also recorded from within the pit fill. The outside and rim of the pot were decorated with linear, cross-hatch and zigzag incised motifs. The pit appears to be located within a cemetery of early Bronze Age date.
28 Cabinteely Way, Cabinteely, Dublin 18
