Cist in Ower (clare By.)

On level ground in gently undulating pastureland. Discovered c. 1939 while digging for sand, it consisted of a short rectangular slab-built cist (E-W; L 0.7m, Wth 0.4m, H c. 0.45m) roofed by a capstone set c. 0.3m below ground level. It was floored with a cobbling of small stones. At its centre was an Irish Vase full of cremated bones. The cist itself was filled with fine grey sand which contained cremated human bones at all levels. No visible surface trace survives (Raftery 1942, 75-81; Waddell 1975, 19; 1990, 94). The above description is derived from the published 'Archaeological Inventory of County Galway Vol. II - North Galway'. Compiled by Olive Alcock, Kathy de hÓra and Paul Gosling (Dublin: Stationery Office, 1999). Date of upload: 05 August 2010

A small Neolithic or Early Bronze Age cist tomb; its simple construction reflects early funerary practices in the region.