What is recorded here

Cist in Killycluggin is a small oval pit beside the Killycluggin stone, not a grand chamber or hidden treasure vault. It held charcoal, burnt bone and a flint scraper, marking a mortal life rather than a mythic hoard. Treasure hunters destroyed it before proper study began, reminding us that eagerness can erase the very thing it seeks.

In the course of his excavation of the area around the Killycluggin stone Raftery (1978, 49-54) discovered a small oval pit (dims. 1.4m x 1.1m; D 0.65m), immediately E of the site of the stone, which yielded flecks of charcoal, tiny fragments of burnt bone and a flint scraper. Macalister (1922, 116) recorded that treasure hunters had 'dug all round the monument' [the Killycluggin stone] and had ... discovered a small burial-cist, which they proceeded to destroy'. The cist was 'just beside the stone, sunk about 3 feet in the ground, on the E side'. Both writers were apparently referring to the same site. The above description is derived from the published 'Archaeological Inventory of County Cavan' (Dublin: Stationery Office, 1995). In certain instances the entries have been revised and updated in the light of recent research. Date of upload/revision: 22 December 2008

A Bronze Age cist tomb; its significance lies in its association with the Killycluggin stone, potentially indicating a ritual or funerary context in a landscape rich with megalithic monuments.

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