County: Tipperary Site name: DER22, Cooleeny
Sites and Monuments Record No.: N/A Licence number: 96E0202ext.
Author: Cara Murray, Lisheen Archaeological Project, for Margaret Gowen & Co. Ltd.
Site type: Road - unclassified togher
Period/Dating: Bronze Age (2200 BC-801 BC)
ITM: E 622294m, N 666122m
Latitude, Longitude (decimal degrees): 52.745711, -7.669799
Two additional sites have been dated to the Middle Bronze Age (DER22 and DER57, No. 541 Excavations 1997). The single-plank trackway, DER22 (1517 BC), was located in the south-central portion of the TMF within the townland of Cooleeny. It was constructed of longitudinal planks set end to end, which were set on transverses. These horizontal timbers were held in place by vertically set pegs, which were inserted into mortises in the ends of timbers where necessary. The site was traced east–west for 160m of its length, from an area near the outer edge of the Middle Bronze Age marginal forest on the western side. It was constructed within poorly humified raised bog, which contained Eriophorum and sedges roughly 0.9m above the level of the wood-rich fen peat and 0.2m below the transition to moderately humified fen peat.
Within the track, the variety and conservation of the timber varied considerably. In general radial split planks formed the walking surface, although one half-split oak was also excavated. Similarly, timbers used as transverses varied from well-cut radial split planks with mortises to irregular branch timbers. Conservation of these timbers ranged from pristine to partially rotted, depending on whether the wood was located on the hummocks or within the hollows of the raised bog. The pegs were all radial split oak, up to 0.98m in length, which stood up to 0.22m above the walking level of the track.
Minorco Lisheen Ltd, Killoran, Moyne, Co. Tipperary
