2014:593 - Derryvilla, Offaly

Excavation was carried out at the site of a burial ground in the townland of Derryvilla, Portarlington, Co. Offaly between April and August 2014. Human bone had been identified on the site in 1997 and test trenching in 1998 (Licence Number 98E0315) and 2012 (Ministerial Consent 492) revealed the presence of undisturbed burials. An associated ditch apparently delimiting the western extent of the burial ground was also identified in 1998. The burial ground and ditch were subsequently entered into the Sites and Monuments Record as OF034-00801 and OF034-008002, respectively. The site is located on the highest point of a hill just north of Portarlington and on the west side of the road to Edenderry.
The hill of Derryvilla is one of a number of glacial hills in Co. Offaly and is located within an area of dry land bordered to the east, north and west by extensive tracts of bog. The hill would appear to originally have been low and flat-topped, but sand extraction has removed much of this hill and it is difficult to make out its original contours.
A trackway, the Friar’s Togher (OF034-001), is depicted on the OS 6” map as a linear feature orientated on a north-north-west/south-south-east axis and running from the base of the hill on the south-east into the lands on the south side of the road. It seems probable that this togher was originally associated with the burial ground and provided access to it through the surrounding bog. Between 1946 and 1948, a total of over 100 coins of 16th- and 17th-century date were found on the sand hill at Derryvilla. Six of these were Irish pistoles manufactured c. 1646 in Dublin as emergency war money. The latest coins within the hoard were dated 1651 and it is possible that they were hidden during the Cromwellian wars.
Excavation focused on the most western area of the remaining hill and possibly within the eastern limit of the area subject to testing in 1998. As part of the excavation, a number of machine-dug test trenches were also inserted along the eastern slope of the hill in an attempt to determine the precise limit of burials in this area. The remaining portion of the burial site measured approximately 10m east-west by 7m. The burial ground had been truncated on the west and south but the distribution of burials within the remaining area seemed to indicate a natural thinning out towards the east which, together with the machine-dug test trenches, suggested that the eastern limit of the remaining cemetery represents its original boundary. The burials were densely packed and, in places, up to four burials occurred in a stratified arrangement within a soil profile 0.5m deep. All burials were earth-cut but grave cuts could only be identified in the lowest layer of burial. There were several instances of intercutting of burials by later burials and as a result many of the burials were incomplete. Over 100 separate burial contexts were identified during excavation. Of these, 100 were identified during post-excavation analysis as representing individual primary interments, the remainder being secondary interments of disturbed bone or very fragmented articulated remains which carried significant risk of duplication of other burials. Within the 100 individuals, there were 78 adults and 22 sub-adults. Sixty-two of the adults could be assigned biological sex and of these, 38 were classified as male and 24 as female. Males and females were distributed throughout the burial area but there was some slight evidence for a concentration of juveniles in the south-west corner.
All except one of the burials were orientated east to west with head to the west. The single exception was orientated west to east with the head to the east. Where the layout of the burials could be determined, the vast majority were laid out in a supine, extended position. The legs of four burials, were flexed. Many of the burials had ear muff stones on one or both sides of the head. The position of the arms and feet suggested that some of the burials had been wrapped in a winding sheet. One burial was found in association with two bone beads, identified elsewhere as pater noster beads and dated to approximately 800AD – 1000AD. Two young children aged approximately 2 years and an infant aged approximately 6 months were found associated with shells. A cockle shell was found associated with one of the young children and three cockle shells and an oyster shell were found associated with the other. In the case of the infant, a cockle shell was found in the area of the ribs. A middle–aged female was found with an animal horn close to her lower arm.
Radiocarbon dates from the burials indicate use of the cemetery between the eight and fourteenth century. It is not known whether the later medieval burials represent continued routine use of the site or whether they represent sporadic use of an otherwise abandoned traditional cemetery.
Stature, rates of dental disease and skeletal pathologies were within the range found on other early medieval sites. One individual, a middle-aged male, had extensive perimortem sharp force trauma.

31 Millford, Athgarvan, Co. Kildare