Burial ground in Ballysadare

On top of a gravel ridge, c. 1.1km NW of Collooney. A roughly oval burial mound was uncovered by machinery prior to the development of the Ballysadare-Collooney by-pass road. Half of the mound was excavated in 1996 (Opie 1997, 96-7) while the remainder is undisturbed. The remains of at least 83 burials and 28 bone scatters were uncovered during the excavation. The burials were all inhumations in a supine position, aligned roughly E-W with the head to the W, except for one individual, possibly a priest, whose head was to the E. Most of the graves were shallow and cut into the gravel; two were stone-lined and lintelled. Some burials were also found to the S of the mound. A bullaun stone (SL020-26602-) was found in the field in which the unexcavated half of the burial ground is located. The nature of the burials and their E-W orientation suggest that the burial ground is Christian in date (ibid.). A second burial ground (SL020-266----) lies c. 15m to E. The above description is derived from the published 'Archaeological Inventory of County Sligo' compiled by Ursula Egan, Elizabeth Byrne, Mary Sleeman with Sheila Ronan and Connie Murphy (Dublin Stationery Office, 2005). Date of upload: 18 January 2008

A Neolithic burial mound; partially excavated in 1996, it is significant for providing insights into early funerary practices in the region.