Cist in Rahugh

Cahill and Sikora (2011, 520-22) record that ‘in 1903 a short cist was discovered on a farm near Kilbeggan, Co. Westmeath. The site was not reported to the NMI, but in 1927 an attendant in the Museum was told by a visitor who spent a holiday at Rahugh that a short cist was discovered `some time ago' containing a vessel and `fragments of iron vessels'. The site was excavated in November 1927 by Adolf Mahr and Liam Cogan. According to Mahr's notes, the cist had been badly disturbed in recent times, as well as when it was first discovered. As the record of this site is very meagre, this report can only be considered partial. The human remains were examined by Laureen Buckley. The site was situated on Rahugh Ridge, a glacial moraine that was being quarried at the time of Mahr and Gagan's visit. The cist was rectangular in plan, with its long axis aligned north-west/south-east. It measured 0.81 m long by 0.56m wide by 0.46m high. It was constructed of four thin slabs set on edge, with one forming each wall. The north-western and south-eastern ends as well as the southernmost side were supported externally by a number of small packing stones. The cist was sealed by a large capstone and its floor was paved with a single thin slab, which covered the entire floor area. The cist originally contained a cremation of an adult individual (1927:102) and at least one vessel; the contents had been emptied by the time of Mahr's visit, however, and only some cremated bone survived. The human remains from this site have not been dated. Although two vessels were reported from this site, there is no further information available on their fate. It is assumed that the site is early Bronze Age in date based on its form’.