The oval mound they were working on measured 19 feet east to west, 16 feet 6 inches north to south, and stood 3 feet 6 inches high. It was constructed from dry sandy soil and reinforced with a kerb of large boulders, with similar sized stones scattered across its surface. What the workers uncovered beneath this earthwork was a carefully constructed double cist burial, positioned about 3 feet below the mound’s surface near the western edge.

The limestone cist was divided into two compartments, each measuring 32 inches east to west by 11 inches wide and 14 inches deep, formed from thin limestone slabs held in place by packing stones. Two capstones covered the entire structure. Each compartment contained the disarticulated remains of an individual, both positioned with their heads facing west, following what appears to have been a deliberate burial tradition. The cist’s placement at approximately ground level suggests careful planning by those who created this Bronze Age monument.

The site revealed multiple layers of history beyond its original purpose. Additional skeletal material found within the mound included two tiny skulls, evidence that the location was later repurposed as a cillín; a burial ground for unbaptised children, a practice that continued in this part of Donegal until around 1850. This transformation from prehistoric burial site to more recent sacred ground demonstrates how certain places maintain their spiritual significance across millennia, even as the cultures and beliefs associated with them change. The mound sits in an area of good pasture interspersed with rougher patches of ground, a landscape that has likely changed little since those Bronze Age inhabitants first chose this spot for their dead.