Cist in Treanmacmurtagh

Inside the W edge of the cairn of a possible passage tomb (SL040-016001-). Discovered in 1966 and investigated by E. Rynne (1969, 145-50). Described as an irregular but roughly quadrangular cist (0.8m N-S; 0.5m E-W) with sides composed of single slabs set on edge, apart from SW and SE corners which were closed by two upright stones and by surrounding cairn material respectively. The floor was limestone bedrock. The cist was covered by a single capstone (L 1.15m; Wth 0.52m; T 0.18m) supported on the N and S and possibly the E side by horizontally-laid slabs on top of the sidestones. Small limestone fragments and some unburnt human bones partially filled the cist. The primary burial was found to be the cremated remains of an adult. Two small decorated potsherds were found amongst the cremated bones. In addition, the crouched skeleton of a 10 to 12 year old child with a portion of a small decorated pottery vessel (H 8.8cm; diam. 12.5cm at rim and 4.8cm at base) were found. The investigator suggests that the cist is 'a secondary feature inserted into a pre-existing cairn' (Rynne 1969, 149). A piece of bone from the skeleton has been radiocarbon dated to 3550+-40 BP (GrN-12274) (Ó Ríordáin and Waddell 1993, 37). (Waddell 1990, 133; Ó Ríordáin and Waddell 1993, 131) The above description is derived from the published 'Archaeological Inventory of County Sligo' compiled by Ursula Egan, Elizabeth Byrne, Mary Sleeman with Sheila Ronan and Connie Murphy (Dublin Stationery Office, 2005). Date of upload: 18 January 2008