Road - class 3 togher

The National Monuments Service's description

This togher (L 5.5m min.; Wth 4m; D 0.48m) was composed of two layers, the uppermost of which consisted of a hurdle (L 2.06m; Wth 1.1m) containing four sails, one of which was doubled, and 23 intact rods (av. diam. 0.02-0.04m). The sails were spaced 0.27-0.37m apart and the hurdle was laid with the sails aligned E-W. Adjacent to the hurdle was an area of fragmentary brushwood and roundwood, which included a tiny deposit (L 0.78m; Wth 0.05) of intertwined twigs and small brushwood, possibly the scant remains of another very small hurdle.
The lower layer comprised two distinct deposits. The E area contained dense brushwood and twigs laid up to three pieces deep and orientated NE-SW. These overlay occasional perpendicular brushwood (diam. 0.035m max; L 0.95m max.). To the W of this was a deposit of brushwood, twigs and small split pieces, predominantly orientated NNE-SSW and laid up to three pieces deep. The brushwood (diam. 0.035-0.05m; av. L 0.2m) was quite fragmentary and the split pieces (D 0.06m; L 1.32m max.; Wth 0.12m) were very crude. In general, the wood was in poor or moderate condition, dried out due to an adjacent large field drain. Metal-cut toolmarks were present on elements throughout. Wood included pieces of hazel, ash and willow, and the hurdle was made of hazel and a single piece of ash. The orientation was uncertain due to the truncation of the togher at an oblique angle by the drain. It lay 2.2m to the W of another togher (LF004-019----) and 6m W of the central portion of a further togher (LF004-014----) (Moore and O’Connor 2009a, 36-7, EDC 35).

Compiled by: Mary Tunney based on data kindly supplied by Caitríona Moore.

Date of upload: 26 August 2011