Cist in Carrowmore (carbury By.)

This record refers to a cist destroyed by quarrying in the mid 1940’s. There is an element of doubt about the exact find spot of the cist as it was not precisely recorded at the time of discovery. Some 25 years after its discovery, M. A. Timoney (1966-71, 90-91) published an account of the cist based on information gleaned from a number of people who were involved in the 1940’s quarrying and saw the cist. In this account, he recorded that the quarrying took place ‘about 200 metres south of the Sligo-Knocknahur road and about 90 yards [c. 82m] east of a lane going southwards from this, along the Carrowmore/Graigue townland boundary.’ (ibid. 90), which would place the cist at approximately ITM 565983 833365. Subsequent to this publication, it was determined that the find spot was more likely to have been c. 200m to NE at approximately ITM 566066 833585 ‘near the SE corner of a field, the walls of which were removed by OPW for the reconstruction of Carrowmore 51’ (pers. comm. M. A. Timoney 2022). The following extract is from the account of the discovery published by Timoney (1966-71, 90-91): ‘Subsequent to World War II, probably in 1946, gravel was being quarried on a large scale from a gravel-ridge in the townland of Carrowmore, about 200 metres south of the Sligo-Knocknahur road and about 90 yards [c. 82m] east of a lane going southwards from this, along the Carrowmore/Graigue townland boundary. In the working face of this quarry, a small slab, about 2 ½ ft. [0.76m] by 2 ½ ft. [0.76m], appeared at a depth of about 8 ft. [2.44m] below the surface of the ridge. Further investigation revealed what seems, by all accounts, to have been a long stone cist containing a skeleton which was possibly accompanied by a pot and some sea-shells. The description of this cist and its contents as given below is that which has been recorded from six people who worked on the site at the time, not all of whom agree completely as to the grave's contents. Any ambiguity stems from the lapse of over twenty-five years, the swiftness of the destructive action and the fear of its consequences. . . After the appearance of the slab in the working face of the quarry, further work led to its collapse and the consequent revelation of the cist. This was looked into from the open (western) end and, apparently fearing that work on the site might be suspended temporarily, the cist and its contents, skeleton apart, were passed through the stone crusher – the skeleton was collected, put into a bag and buried somewhere not far distant. It appears that the cist was about 7 ft. [2.13m] long, 2 ½ ft. [0.76m] wide and 2 ½ ft. [0.76m] high, and that it was aligned roughly East-West. The sides each consisted of a number of contiguous slabs set on edge, and there was a single slab closing each end. The floor was paved by a single large slab. The capstone likewise consisted of a single large slab, and it is reported as having had a rough white underside which did not appear to have been due to calcareous encrustation. In the cist was an extended skeleton, placed on its back with its head to the West and its arms by its sides. Some of the informants believe that there may have been a pot standing upright at the left shoulder of the skeleton, while all agree that the grave contained some sea-shells.’ The skeletal remains are said to have been reburied somewhere to the south of the destroyed cist; the exact location is unknown. Compiled by: Jane O'Shaughnessy Revised upload: 2 September 2022