1998:App1 - IRISH ARCHAEOLOGICAL WETLAND UNIT (IAWU) FIELDWORK 1998—COUNTIES OFFALY AND MAYO, Offaly

During the summer of 1998 the Irish Archaeological Wetland Unit (IAWU) spent eight weeks completing the survey of the Boora group of bogs in County Offaly. Boora Works comprises a series of bogs north and south of the road between Tullamore and Cloghan in County Offaly. The survey of the Boora Works began in 1997, when over 31 sites had been recorded. The 1998 survey concentrated on ten Bord na Móna bogs in the Boora region (over 6849ha in area). Clowngawney More, Drinagh West, Drinagh East, Tumduff, Boora East, Boora West, Derrybrat and Monettia are bogs that produce milled peat. Derrinboy and Killaun bogs had only recently been ditched, and there had been no milling in these bogs. One of the main objectives of this survey was to complete all the bogs west of Tullamore in County Offaly so that all the sites could be included in the Sites and Monuments Record. This work led to the completion of the Boora Group of bogs in West Offaly. In addition to these projects a week was spent reinstating a crannog in Frenchgrove, Co. Mayo (No. 488 Excavations 1998), and a preliminary field survey was undertaken in Oweninny, Co. Mayo.

In working in these bogs a standard IAWU survey strategy was used. This involved walking every second of the parallel drainage ditches, which gives an interval of c. 30m. On the first walk sites are identified, and then these are revisited and recorded on a standard IAWU record sheet. Sixty-one sites were recorded in six of the Bord na Móna-owned bogs, and seventeen other sites were recorded in a privately owned bog near Drinagh. Although no sites were recorded in four of the bogs, this does not preclude the finding of sites in the future as peat extraction continues. This brings the total of archaeological sites surveyed and recorded by the IAWU in Boora to over 92. The locations of all the archaeological sites were recorded and transferred onto appropriate maps. A record was also compiled of the threats facing each bog surveyed by the IAWU in 1998. The locational information of each site, the accompanying maps and the bog threats have been submitted to the NMHPS for inclusion in its Sites and Monuments Record.

Clowngawney More
This is the most westerly of the bogs in the Boora area. It lies west of the road from Birr to Cloghan, and its total area is 1018ha. Much of the central axis of the bog has been planted in coniferous forestry. Ten archaeological sites were identified. They lie to the south of Madden’s Derry bog island, on the eastern side of Clowngawney bog. Most of the sites are brushwood toghers situated close to the surface of the bog.

Drinagh West
Drinagh bog lies east of the road from Birr to Cloghan and has been divided into east and west for production purposes. The total area of the two bogs is 1568ha. The survey of Drinagh West revealed nineteen sites in the spur off the south-eastern side of the bog. Sites included a large, single-plank walkway, roundwood and brushwood toghers, worked wood in situ and some puddle toghers. A single-piece vessel and a woven basket with associated leather were also recorded. A further seventeen sites were recorded in an area of private peat cutting to the east of the main concentration of archaeology.

Drinagh East
There were no archaeological sites recorded during the 1998 IAWU survey in this bog.

Derrybrat
Derrybrat is a small bog that lies west of the road running from Ferbane power station to Kilcormac. There were no archaeological sites recorded in this bog during the 1998 survey. Four sites were excavated by Etienne Rynne in the early 1960s, but there was no trace of these sites in 1998 as the area is now covered in forest.

Boora West
Boora bog is at the centre of the complex and lies just south of the Cloghan to Blueball road. Boora bog is divided into east and west for production purposes. The total area of Boora West is 774ha. Although no archaeological sites were found during the 1998 survey, its proximity to the excavated Lough Boora Mesolithic site may result in sites being uncovered in the future.

Boora East
This is the largest of the bogs surveyed in 1998. The total area of Boora East is 2044ha. Most of this area is cut over and is now used for forestry. The only area currently under production and suitable for survey is in the south-eastern corner of the bog. One site was found in this area, very close to the road. It is a brushwood site with deep stratigraphy.

Tumduff
Tumduff is a large expanse of bog beside Boora East. One archaeological site was identified during the course of the survey. It lay in the area to the extreme south-western corner of the bog and consisted of a number of roundwoods with some possible stone toolmarks.

Derrinboy
This bog is removed from the main concentration of Boora bogs and lies to the south of Kilcormac. It is 334ha in total area. No sites were found in this bog. The drains in this bog had just been ditched, and this made the recognition of archaeological sites difficult.

Killaun
Killaun bog is also removed from the main concentration of Boora bogs and lies to the south of Kilcormac. It is 395ha in total area. In the north-eastern spur of the bog thirty archaeological sites were identified. The sites were constructed of brushwood and roundwood, and three of them ran across the width of the bog.

Monettia
This bog lies south of Tullamore, and half of it lies in County Laois. Its total area is 716ha. Owing to time constraints only half of this bog was surveyed in 1998. Three sites were found, consisting of scattered brushwood and roundwood. The hardness of the wood suggests that these sites may be quite late in date.

Frenchgrove, Co. Mayo
A week (20–4 April 1998) was spent on the reinstatement of a crannog in Frenchgrove, Co. Mayo (see No. 488 Excavations 1998). The site was found during land reclamation while a mechanical excavator was being used (Excavations 1997, 208). An amount of damage was caused to the site by the machine.

The work involved sieving the upcast material, backfilling the excavated hole using the sieved spoil, reburying the displaced timbers, recording the artefacts recovered and arranging conservation where necessary. Samples were also selected and processed for dating.

Oweninny, Co. Mayo
In May 1998 a one-week field survey was undertaken in the Bord na Móna bogs in the Oweninny Works, Bellacorrick, Co. Mayo. The object of this survey was to investigate the archaeological potential of the lowland blanket bog. The IAWU did not uncover any sites exposed in the peat face or on the surface of the bog during this survey.