2021:490 - CARROWGARRY, Sligo

The laying of a water pipe and troughs as part of agricultural improvement works on farmland disturbed a slab-lined burial which was immediately reported to the National Museum of Ireland and An Gárda Síochána. Following consultation with the National Monuments Service it was decided to excavate the burial due to the risk of the cist collapsing.

The grave was located under 0.7m of topsoil. It measured 2.4m by 0.55m and was orientated south-west to north-east. It was built using grey fine-grained limestone lintels with the intervening space filled by smaller stones. These were supported by side slabs set on edge. The base of the grave was cut into stony-grey brown natural soil. The burial was examined in situ by Linda Lynch, osteologist and was a single adult male, 35–45 years of age at the time of death, which had been adversely affected on one side by the circumstances of discovery. There were few indicators of physiological stress apart from heavy dental abrasion probably resulting from a coarse diet. A sample from the burial was dated to Cal AD 403–538 (UBA-46950). The only artefact recovered during excavation was a fragment of mudstone stone axehead.