Midden in Sligo Bay

Located in Sligo Bay, at the SW end of a small, oblong island (25m N–S; 8-10m E–W; H c. 2m), named ‘Doonanpatrick’ on the 1838 and 1922 OS 6-inch maps. Coney Island is located 400m to NW, and the nearest point on the mainland is the Killaspugbrone peninsula 700m to SW. The island is accessible at low tide across the sand flats from Coney Island, and from the mainland along the traditional route of the Coney Island causeway which begins in Scardan More townland 1.8km to SE. This possible midden is exposed at the base of the eroding section face on the E side of the island, 8m N of the S end of the island. It is evident as a loose, sparse surface scatter (c. 2m N−S; c. 1-1.5m E-W) of oyster, cockle, periwinkle, and whelk shells, amidst a spread of large and medium-sized stones and grey-brown sand. The quantity of shells is meager, and they do not appear to constitute an in situ layer, but rather a deposit that has eroded out of the slumped, partly grass-covered section face. This is one of three discrete midden deposits visible on the island; there is a midden (MA014-004----) at the N tip of the island, and a midden (SL014-004001-) on the W side. Given the small size of the island, all three may be part of a single midden, however, there appear to be differences in composition between at least two of the deposits suggesting that they represent different events in the history of the island. Compiled by: Jane O'Shaughnessy Date of upload: 14 February 2017