Road - class 1 togher

The National Monuments Service's description

This site was located in the industrial peatlands of Cloonshannagh Bog. Excavations in 2010 (Rohan & Whitaker 2013) revealed that four sites previously identified as Platforms during the 2007/2008 Archaeological Survey of Ireland Peatland Survey (Rohan 2009) formed part of a linear togher. The other platform sites are RO024-048----, RO024-056---, and RO-024-057---, which have all been re-classified as Redundant records. The 2013 Re-assessment Survey (Whitaker 2014) recorded this site at thirteen sightings CLS115a-m (partial sightings of a-d remained after the 2010 excavations) and in 2014 sighting ‘d’ was excavated (Coughlan & Whitaker 2019).

The trackway was excavated under licence 14E0265, and dated to cal. 358-59 BC. The primary substructure layer of the track consisted of a dense scatter of brushwood. There was no defined pattern to the deposit and it was 1-2 layers deep. The wood was generally in moderate to good condition. At the N side of the cutting a number of natural tree root systems had been incorporated into the structure. A series of possible brushwood pegs were recorded randomly scattered through the brushwood substructure layer.
Overlying the brushwood substructure was a series of E-W orientated, longitudinally laid roundwoods and heavy brushwoods. The elements were not densely packed but survived in generally good condition. The superstructure was only noted in the west of the cutting adjacent to the drain face and it must be assumed that the remainder has been removed in antiquity. The roundwoods were tightly packed where they survived providing a substantial surface. One transversely laid oak timber had a worked end (Whitaker 2018).

Edited by: Femke Vleeshouwer/Jane Whitaker/Tim Coughlan, on 16 April 2020

Oirginal date of upload: 12th April, 2011

References

Rohan, N. 2009 Peatland survey 2007 and 2008, Blackwater, Derryfadda, Coolnagun, Moutdillon group of bogs: counties Offaly, Galway, Longford, Westmeath and Roscommon. Ireland. Archaeological Development Services. Unpublished report, Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government.

Rohan, N, & Whitaker J. 2013 Preliminary Excavation Report on Excavations in Caul, Cloonmore and Cloonshannagh Townlands, Cloonshannagh Bog, Co Roscommon. Unpublished report submitted to DOEHLG & BNM.

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.

Coughlan, T & Whitaker, J 2019 Final excavation report Cloonshannagh Bog, Co Roscommon. Bord na Mona Peatland Archaeological Services 2014-2017. Unpublished report submitted to DOEHLG & BnM