Burial ground in Ballysadare

Located c. 1.1km NW of Collooney. Human skeletal remains were uncovered by machinery during bridge construction on the Ballysadare-Collooney by-pass road in 1995. Only a small area (14m x 14m) remained undisturbed and was subsequently excavated (Opie 1996, 77). A total of 37 extended inhumations were uncovered during the excavation. The burials were all in a supine position and aligned roughly E-W with the head to the W, except for one individual, possibly a priest, whose head was to the E. Grave-cuts and divides were noted in some burials and one skeleton had an arrangement of three stones under its skull. A bronze ring (int. diam. 12.5mm), which may have been part of a belt, was found on the left radius/ulna of one burial and an iron ribbon torque was found around the neck of another. Skeletal analysis of four of the burials revealed that there were three middle-aged females and one adult male. The nature of the burials and their E-W orientation suggest that the burial ground is Christian in date (Opie 1995). A second burial ground (SL020-266001-) lies c. 15m to W. (Opie 1995; 1996, 77) 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