Road - gravel/stone trackway - peatland

The National Monuments Service's description

This site (L 770m; Wth 3.1m; D 0.82m) is orientated NE-SW crossing the N half of Bloomhill Bog from Bloomhill island, Co. Offaly to Ballynahown wood Td. in Co. Westmeath (SMR WM035-017----). Portions of the site were excavated in 1983 and 1996 by Breen (E395) and by the Irish Archaeological Wetland Unit (UCD) in 1992 (92E0176). Breen identified eight phases of construction close to the dryland at the S end and both Breen and the Irish Archaeological Wetland Unit (UCD) recorded three phases towards the centre of the bog. At the S end the earliest phase was of clay, gravel and stone probably laid down in the sixth century AD. This phase was seal by peat and replaced with a layer of clay, stones and large timbers radiocarbon dated to cal. AD 564-775 (GrN-14715). This was followed by further peat growth and over which a layer of timbers was laid that was also covered by peat. Above this there were three successive phases of construction consisting of clay, stone and gravel followed by brushwood and finally a layer of sods. After a further episode of peat growth a surface of large flagstones was laid which was also covered by peat that contained a number of horseshoes. The final phase of construction consisted of birch roundwoods and a number of oak timbers dendrochronologically dated to of AD 1226±9 or later (Q5413).
The excavations towards the centre of the bog consisted of a deep bed of clay and gravels sealed by peat with brushwood over which was a surface of large flagstones. Following a further period of peat development a final phase of clay and gravel was laid down. The flagstone layer recorded in all cuttings may represent a single phase of construction along the line of the site. (Breen, T.C. 1988, 321-339; McDonald, T. 1987, 37; McDermott, c. , 1995, 59-66)

Compiled by: Irish Archaeological Wetland Unit (University College Dublin).

Date of upload: 23 May 2011