2015:044 - Cloonmacduff, Sligo

NMI Burial Excavation Records

County: Sligo Site name: Cloonmacduff

Sites and Monuments Record No.: none Licence number: 15E0242

Author: Marion Dowd

Site type: Early medieval skeleton

Period/Dating:

ITM: E 568857m, N 826725m

Latitude, Longitude (decimal degrees): 54.188519, -8.477162

In January 2015 a large beech tree on the Cooper (Markree) estate, Cloonmacduff townland, fell over during a storm. Part of a human skeleton was brought up entangled in the root system. In May of that year, the National Monuments Service was made aware of the find and commissioned a rescue excavation of the remains.
The upper part of the skeleton – from the skull to the mid section of the femora – had been trapped by the tree roots and raised up into the air at a 90° angle. The skeleton had effectively been ‘snapped’ in two by the strength of the collapsing tree: the lower part of the femora and remainder of the leg bones lay undisturbed in situ in the ground.
The individual had been placed in a supine position, lying east-west with the head to the west. The hands had been placed over the torso.
Osteoarchaeological analysis revealed the remains represented a young man aged 17-20 years at the time of death. He had been stabbed repeatedly to the chest, and a cut to the left hand probably represents a defensive wound. Radiocarbon dating indicates he died during the early medieval period, specifically between 1028 and 1206 AD.

Sligo-Leitrim Archaeological Services, 8 Millbank Glen, Dromahair, Co. Leitrim