Photograph of polarised thin section of stone axe (ISAP 04470) from Aghalahard, Co. Mayo, from the National Museum of Ireland (NMI 1944:211). Macro-ID - Mudstone*Shale. Micro-ID - Mudstone U. Petrology - Black weathered creamy fine nodular clay ironstone. Description - Axe/ardshare, upper portion. Cleaved and flaked with grinding on the sides and the butt only. The left side is narrow and pointed. The right side is thicker and flat. The cutting edge and the blade area are missing. There is a clean break across the centre of the axe. Both the faces are flat and appear to be the original cleaved surfaces. There are a number of diagonal striae along both the sides and across the upper portions of both the faces. The butt is pointed and a post-manufacture flake has been detached from either side. There is also the possibility that the object may have been an ardshare, or was re-used as one (see Brady 1990). The core was taken from the break across the axe. Dimensions (length x width x thickness) - 11.9 cm, 7.1 cm, 1.9 cm, 264g.