Archaeological Notes from Ireland 1909—1910

During the period 1909-1910 discoveries of exceptional importance have taken place.A gold 'Lunula' was discovered in the month of September, in a fissure in some stones about 8 or 9 feet below the surface of a tract of land, known as Lisanova, near Bawnboy, Co. Cavan.This has been added to the Royal Irish Academy's collection in the National Museum, making the total number of these objects in the collection no less than 37.It may perhaps be of interest to add particulars of a few finds, some of which, though made before 1909 have only recently been published.Among these may be mentioned a good example of a cremated burial in a cist found in a cairn at Annaghkeen, Headford, Co. Galway.The cist was discovered in December 1907, when workmen were removing stones from the cairn to build a wall (Abb.1).The objects of the find Abb. 1.The Cist: Annaghkeen Cairn.were examined and described by Dr. Τ. B. Costello 1 ) and are now deposited in the National Museum, Dublin.The cist was 4 feet in length, 2 feet 4 inches wide, and 2 feet 6 inches high.The cairn in which it was found is roughly circular, about 100 feet in diameter and 15 feet high in the centre.The cist contained cremated bones, one almost perfect urn of the food vessel type, 4 1 /2 inches in height and 5 inches across the top, some portions of a second urn and the ornamented lid of a vessel δ 1 ^ inches in diameter, also one small vessel of the incense-cup type 1 11 /16 inches in height and 2 5 /16 inches across the top, a bronze knife or small dagger 3 5 /8 inches long, a small bronze awl l 1 /2 inches long, and a white quartz pebble (Abb.2)

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