Road - class 2 togher

The National Monuments Service's description

This site is located in the industrial peatlands of Kinnegad Bog. It was first recorded in the 2013 Peatland Survey as a Class 2 roundwood togher, visible in four consecutive drain faces for 45m, located 0.17-0.69m below the field surface (Bermingham 2014). The site was excavated in 2015 (licence 15E0163). It laid under three layers of Sphagnum peat, and overlaid poorly to moderately decomposed Sphagnum peat with Eriophorum inclusions. The site was dated to cal. 1660-1501 BC (UBA 26635).

A single cutting measuring 7x2m was opened, later extended with a further 2x2m on the E field. The site consisted of a short length of hazel roundwood (L0.85m, Diam. 0.1m) orientated E-W, cutting the W production field. Two roundwood elements (L0.54-1.35m, Diam. 0.12-0.15m) were exposed in the extended cutting on the production field to the E of the drain. These were laid end-to-end and oriented E-W. The element at the eastern extent of the cutting was a forked branch with slightly concave toolmarks forming a wedge point on one of the forks. There were also toolmarks noted on the western extent of the branch which had been cut to a chisel point. The structure was a simple narrow pathway.

Compiled by: Jane Whitaker/Femke Vleeshouwer

Date of upload: 27/02/2020

References

Whitaker, J. 2017 Final Excavation Report, Kinnegad Bog, Co. Meath (15E0160–15E0177). Unpublished report prepared by IAC Ltd submitted to the National Monuments Service, Department of Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht, Dublin.

Bermingham, N. 2014 Archaeological Survey of Ireland Peatland Survey 2013: Kinnegad (Rossan) Bog, Co Meath. Unpublished Archaeological Survey report submitted to DOEHLG