Road - class 2 togher

The National Monuments Service's description

This site is located in the industrial peatlands of Clonad Bog. It was first identified in the 2013 Reassessment Peatland Survey as a transversely laid, NNW-SSE orientated plank togher, located in the NW extent of Clonad Bog and traced across three drain face sightings (Whitaker 2014). Two cuttings were excavated in 2014, under licence 14E0355. A fragment of willow was taken from Cutting 1 for AMS dating and returned a result of cal. 1376-1123 BC (UBA 26629).

Cutting 1 (OF-CND001b) measured 8x5m, and was overlain by only a thin layer of peat. The site was composed of closely placed, transversely laid split oak planks, forming an upper surface 2.14-3.5m in width. It was supported by longitudinal planks and delineated by split oak and roundwood pegs. Fine riverine sand was used in places as packing material. Where present, toolmarks on the pegs were concave in shape. Very little peat remained over the site, but the underlying peat was weakly decomposed and Sphagnum-rich.

Cutting 2 (OF-CND001a) was located on a former stockpile field and measured 4x3.5m in size. It was covered by peat, 0.9m deep. The upper surface of the togher was 2.85-3.5m in width here, and was composed of transversely laid split oak planks occasionally interspersed with clay and sand. They were closely placed, with some overlapping. Two had partial mortice holes with in-situ pegs.
The sub-structure of the togher was mainly composed of longitudinally laid roundwoods with short transversely laid lengths of broken split oaks between them. It was delineated with split oak pegs.

Compiled by: Jane Whitaker/Femke Vleeshouwer

Date of upload: 20 February 2020

References

Whitaker, J. 2016 Final Excavation Report, Clonad, Co. Offaly (14E0353–14E0355). Unpublished report prepared by IAC Ltd submitted to the National Monuments Service, Department of Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht, Dublin.

Whitaker, J. 2014 Re‐assessment Peatland Survey 2013, Blackwater, Boora, Derrydreenagh, Mountdillon Group of Bogs, County Offaly, Longford, Westmeath and Roscommon. Unpublished report prepared by ADS for Bord na Móna.