Platform - peatland

The National Monuments Service's description

This site was located in the industrial peatlands of Cloonshannagh Bog. It was first recorded in the 2013 Peatland Reassessment Survey as a platform located on the field surface to the north of CLS016 between sightings CLS016c and CLS016d (Whitaker 2014).

The site was excavated in 2014 under licence 14E0259, and was dated to cal. AD 902-1029. The remains consisted of a platform with a substructure and superstructure.
The superstructure consisted of heavy brushwoods and roundwoods, all laid with an E-W orientation. They were tightly packed in roughly two layers. The condition of the elements was moderate to good.
The brushwood substructure was formed by up to 2 layers that appeared to be randomly laid with no clear orientation, and moderate density. The elements were generally in good condition.
The brushwood consisted of birch, hazel, ash and alder while alder and pomoideae were identified from the roundwood samples (Coughlan and Whitaker 2019).

Compiled by: Femke Vleeshouwer/Jane Whitaker/Tim Coughlan

Date of upload: 17 April 2020

References

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 Unpublished report prepared by ADS for Bord na Móna.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 Unpublished report submitted to DOEHLG & BnM