Road - class 1 togher

The National Monuments Service's description

Excavation of this togher (L 285m; Wth 4m min.; D 0.95m) revealed a two-layered substructure of longitudinal roundwood (diam. 0.1-0.12m) overlain by transverse roundwood, split oaks and trunks (Moloney et al. 1993, 36-41). The superstructure consisted of longitudinal half-split oak planks, which were supported at several points by the transverse elements. Additional support was provided by a system of obliquely set pegs at either side of the planks. Some of the planks had morticed ends and one timber was at least 15m in length. At one point along the toghers length a deliberate pattern of triangular shaped and cut wedges had been cut from the upper surface of the half-splint oak timber. It is not known what the purpose of this pattern of markings is. The togher was orientated WNW-ESE and was dated by dendrochronology to 1612±9 BC (Q8497). When inspected in 1999 (Dunne), the togher (Wth 2-4m; T 0.3-0.4m) was visible across nineteen fields for a distance of 385m. The ESE end of it was orientated WNW-ESE, the orientation then changed slightly to NW-SE. In places the togher was located on the field surface and was being milled, while elsewhere it was exposed in the drain faces. At one sighting the surface of the togher was evident in the base of the drain at a depth of 1.05m. Here it generally consisted of large, longitudinal oak planks (Wth 0.95-1.5m; T 0.15-0.2m) resting on a substructure of transverse and longitudinal small and large roundwood. Some split timbers and brushwood were also used in the construction. Mortice-holes (sample dim. 0.08 x 0.08m) were present. (Dunne 1999, 99DBNW0014A-S)

Compiled by: Mary Tunney based on data supplied by the former Irish Archaeological Wetland Unit, University College, Dublin, and the Archaeological Development Services.

Date of upload: 26 August 2011