2006:1777 - Kilkilloge I, Sligo

Monitoring took place of groundworks relating to a single dwelling house and associated works in Kilkilloge on the top of Mullaghmore Head, Co. Sligo. There is a possible early monastic enclosure about 80m to the north-east, near a T-junction. There are rumours of an extensive souterrain somewhere ‘down the field’ from the T-junction. A local name, ‘Ballintemple’, applies to part of Mullaghmore Head. The first-edition 6-inch OS map shows a clachan of almost 30 buildings here, including a named schoolhouse. The National Library of Ireland Maps of the Sligo Estate, the Property of the Right Honourable Henry John, Lord Viscount Palmerston, Surveyed and Drawn 1813 and 14 by James Williamson, NLI MS.16F17, shows Ballintemple to the north-north-east of the clachan in ‘Kilculloge’. This development site would be within that clachan area. Information from John Leonard, who lived opposite, on NMI file IAD 1966:41, refers to ‘many grave stones found in this place when the road replaced a boreen – one with writing which not even a priest could read’. These indicators combine to suggest that somewhere about here there was an important early monastic complex.
There were no archaeological discoveries in the ground disturbance for this development. However, several rectangular flat slabs were found to the west of the ruins of a house at the roadside. In the light of the rumours of burials, these could have been headstones. However, there is no indication of inscription or decoration on any of them. The former owner informed us that they had been within the house and he took them out for use under cocks of hay. These may be the type of slabs referred to by Leonard, quoted above. In the light of these discoveries, there probably was no writing and they are not gravestones. There was no indication of a souterrain in the works for this development, nor were there any indications of foundations of any of the clachan buildings. An 1893 penny was found towards the rear right of the site and a clay pipe towards the centre. There was some modern crockery and rubbish around the existing buildings and inside of the present field gate. In the latter area, three bones were found. These were examined by Laureen Buckley, palaeopathologist, who is certain that they are not human. All these would be part of normal domestic rubbish. A long crowbar, said to be from harbour works at Mullaghmore village, was found in one of the sheds.
A separate licence, 06E1114, was put in place for testing two adjacent fields; as that did not happen until early 2007, it will be reported on in the bulletin of that year.