What is recorded here

Ballyvicmaha in County Mayo held a small Bronze Age cist discovered in 1962, its wedge-shaped chamber no larger than a outstretched arm. Major R.B. Aldridge examined the disturbed slabs and passed the broken vase to the National Museum, preserving ridges and incised lines that once glowed under human hands. The exact spot vanished from memory, leaving only the museum vase and a ghost of a chamber buried beneath ordinary Irish soil.

This record refers to a cist discovered in Ballyvicmaha townland in 1962. It was in a greatly disturbed condition when examined by Major R.B. Aldridge, who passed on details of the find to the National Museum. The exact location was not recorded (Cahill and Sikora 2011, 306-7). It consisted of a wedge-shaped short cist (int. dims. L 60cm N–S; Wth 50cm E–W) constructed of four edge-set slabs, one on each side. It was roofed by a single, irregular-shaped capstone (L 0.74m; Wth 0.69m; T 0.13m), and was paved with a single slab, which did not cover the entire floor area. The cist contained fragments of cremated bone and a vase food vessel. The bipartite vase (H c. 0.12m; int. rim diam. 0.1m), now in the National Museum (1962:253), was found in a fragmentary condition, less than half of it preserved. It has a wide rim, bevelled internally, a concave neck and a rounded shoulder from which the sides slope down to a narrow base. It is decorated with ridges, and bands of slanting and vertical incised lines and scores, and has two small applied unperforated lugs. The vase dates the cist to the Bronze Age. (Cahill and Sikora 2011, 306-7). Compiled by: Jane O'Shaughnessy Date of upload: 15 August 2019

A small stone cist, likely dating to the Early Christian or early medieval period, used for burial purposes. Its disturbed condition limits understanding of its original context and wider significance.

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