Urn burial in Harristown

Harristown passage tomb (WA027-007----) was excavated in 1939 by J. Hawkes (1941). The covering cairn (diam. c. 15.25m) had spilled outside the orthostats, and it may have had an outer kerb of dispersed orthostats. The cairn contained secondary burials, all cremations, one with a vase food vessel, three with cordoned urns, one of which had a pygmy cup, and an unclassifiable urn. The cremated remains of at least four others were found in two deposits, and the associated finds of the secondary burials comprise a razor, a faience bead and perforated bone pins. This unclassified urn (Hawkes, 1941, No. IV) consists of a few fragments and was opposite the entrance to the passage tomb. It is associated with some cremated remains of an adult. (Waddell 1990, 145, 4) Hawkes, J. (1941) Excavation of a megalithic tomb at Harristown, Co. Waterford. JRSAI, vol. 71, 130-47. Waddell, J. (1990) The Bronze Age burials of Ireland. Galway University Press. Compiled by: Michael Moore Date of upload/revision: 31 May 2011

Urn burial in Harristown is a Neolithic burial associated with a passage tomb, dating to approximately 2500–2000 BCE. Its significance lies in providing insights into early funerary practices and the construction of megalithic monuments in the region.