What is recorded here

Seven thousand years of breath and forgetting ended when a quarry tracked the soil in 2004. Two hundred and sixteen bodies, some no larger than a newborn fist, lay shallow and unadorned inside a broken circle of ditch. They gave up their bones to the machine but kept their names locked in the dark.

In 2004, archaeological monitoring (Halpin B. Excavation Licence No. 04E1638) of groundworks in advance of a proposed sand/gravel quarry resulted in the discovery and partial excavation of a previously unknown burial ground. A curving ditch (Wth 3.3m; max D 1.9m) was found to enclose a penannular area (diam. c. 70m N-S; c. 40m E-W), unenclosed between NE and S. Two fragments of pottery from the upper fill of the ditch were identified as Dublin type ware and local cooking ware of 12th-14th century date. The enclosed area contained some 216 skeletons, the majority of which have been left in situ. The burials comprised adults, juveniles and neonates and were generally aligned E-W and interred in very shallow grave cuts. No evidence of coffins or grave goods was found. Compiled by: Gearóid Conroy Date of upload: 10 January 2013

The monument record does not grant public access. Check the route and ask the landowner before entering private land.