Aegis Archaeology - Excavations at Stradbally North

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Excavations

Stradbally North

Excavations at Stradbally North

This cemetery was excavated in advance of a housing development. The area which contained the burials is located on a narrow level shelf between a limestone ridge and the flood plain of the river Shannon.

General post ex. From N.

The level of the river has been reduced since the Ardnacrusha Hydro-electric Scheme in 1929.

Excavated Skeleton

In general the bones recovered from Stradbally North are in a good state of preservation. During excavation the bones were quite soft and after standard post-excavation processing the bones are still quite fragile. Ten articulated skeletons were recovered as well as a significant volume of disarticulated human remains, amounting to at least three more individuals.

Preliminary analysis of the skeletons has identified three female adults, six male adults, and a juvenile of undetermined sex aged 12-14 years at the time of death. All individuals were supine and extended, but do seem to have been buried in haste.

Silver Coin

A silver penny was found on the surface of a grave cut, which dates from the 15th century, while one skeleton contained a clay pipe dating from the 17th century thus, indicating that the area may be used for burials over the course of at least 200 years.

Therefore at this stage it appears that this site at Stradbally North, Castleconnell may be associated with a church which reputedly stood in the immediate vicinity, as the artefactual evidence suggests burials and activity in the area from at least the fifteenth century into the seventeenth century. Alternatively, some of these skeletons may be the result of injuries sustained during the attack on the castle at Castleconnell in the 1690s'.