2003:382 - ALTAGHADERRY, Donegal

A short stone cist containing a cremation and four vessels of vase tradition was discovered during ploughing on a farm at Altaghaderry, on the border between counties Donegal and Derry, in 2000 or 2001. Unfortunately, the contents of the cist were disturbed on at least two separate occasions before the discovery was reported to the National Museum of Ireland. The site was visited by the National Museum in April 2002, but, as the field was under cultivation, the cist was not excavated until January 2003. The cist was rectangular in plan, measuring 0.85m long by 0.63m wide by 0.51m high internally. It was constructed of four main slabs: two thin slabs at the east and west sides and smaller slabs closing the north and south ends. A number of small slabs were also laid horizontally over the north and south ends to raise the height to that of the long sides. The floor of the cist was paved with a number of small slate slabs and sloped from south to north. The cist had originally been sealed by a single subrectangular capstone measuring 1.11m long by 0.86m wide by 0.1m thick.

The contents of the cist had been seriously disturbed upon discovery and much of the fill of the cist proved, on excavation, to have been redeposited. A substantial part of the cremation deposit survived, scattered over most of the floor of the cist, apart from the edges and corners. Most of the pottery had been removed, however, and it was therefore impossible to establish the original disposition of the remains within the cist. Some surviving sherds in the south-west corner suggested that one of the vessels may have originally been placed there.

This rescue excavation was conducted by the National Museum of Ireland under section 16 of the National Monuments (Amendment) Act, 1954.

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