2010:557 - Ardnanagh, Roscommon

Monitoring and rescue excavation was undertaken within the grounds of the Christian Brothers School, in the townland of Ardnanagh, Roscommon, between 16 and 19 July 2010. These works were undertaken on behalf of Blue Hills Consulting Engineers. The upgrade to existing services on the site was not subject to planning conditions and, as such, archaeological monitoring was not deemed necessary throughout the trenching process. The development involved the excavation of approximately 210m of trenching to the rear (north) and side (west) of the school.
During trench excavation the site contractor uncovered human remains within the narrow (0.7m maximum) trench at a depth of approximately 1.2m, on Thursday 15 July 2010. Further trenching in the area was temporarily stopped and the local Garda Síochána was informed. An area measuring 3m x 3m around the remains was excavated using a mini-digger under the supervision of the gardaí, in order to assess the remains. Following consultation with the relevant authorities, it was concluded that the remains were of an archaeological nature and warranted rescue excavation in advance of further trench excavation. Following recording and excavation of the human remains, the remaining trenching in the vicinity to the north and north-west was monitored. There was no further evidence of archaeological remains.
Subsequent analysis of the remains showed that they represented a young male, aged 18–25 years. The remains were in a good condition and relatively complete, permitting the stature estimation to be 165.18cm (5 feet 5 inches). There was evidence for multiple periods of physiological stress during the early childhood of the individual, possibly representing periods of low malnutrition or acute illness, occurring before the age of 4½ years. Levels of oral hygiene were shown to be relatively poor, with a number of teeth present showing signs of severe calculus deposition and caries. Periodontal disease evident in the dental arcades suggests that he suffered severely from gum disease. The radiocarbon dates place the remains of the young male in the 11–12th century (UBA–16394, cal. ad 1016–1153 (2s).