1999:756 - TUMBEAGH BOG, Tumbeagh and Killaghintober, Offaly

This site was excavated as part of the 1999 Bord na Móna Archaeological Mitigation Project. The site was a linear plank trackway that had been identified at the drain edges and across the field surfaces of Tumbeagh Bog at twenty sightings for a distance of over 350m. The site was dated to 949±9 BC (QUB-9524). Three cuttings were excavated, two at both ends of the site and one in the middle portion. Cutting 1 was in the townland of Tumbeagh, and Cuttings 2 and 3 were in the townland of Killaghintober.

The site ran across the bog in an east-north-east/west-south-west direction almost parallel to the small modern road from Cappanalosset crossroads to the village of Doon. Its depth below surface varied from 0m to 0.7m. Its construction remained fairly consistent: either single- or double-placed longitudinal planks supported by transverse planks and held in place with pegs. While the main line of the site ran in an east-north-east/west-south-west direction, it would appear that there were at least two junctions. One of the junctions was found at Cutting 2 and ran southwards from the line of the site for 13m. The second ran northwards from Cutting 3 and was traced for a distance of 20m.

The first of the three cuttings measured 2.5m x 5m and was on the western side of the bog. At this location the site was visible at the drain edge as a linear plank with the remains of a mortice 50mm below the field surface. The site appears to slope downwards from west to east at this point. The site was composed of a single radially split longitudinal supported by three transverse planks. One of the transverse planks had a damaged mortice with an in situ peg, 435mm long and 18mm in diameter. Another peg was found in the cutting, close to the eastern baulk. This was a squared oak peg 0.43m long and 50mm x 25mm in diameter.

The second cutting measured 2.5m x 6m and was placed at one of the central sightings of the togher. This sighting contained a north-south scattering of planks and roundwoods spread for a length of 11m along the field surface at the drain edge. This location was chosen for excavation to establish whether this spread of material reflected a change in the construction of the trackway or whether there was more than one site present at this location. Two disturbed plank toghers were exposed in this cutting, which represented the first of two possible junctions along the length of the site and had a similar construction to that of the site exposed in Cuttings 1 and 3. The main line of the plank togher was found in the northern end of this cutting, while the junction ran away from it in a south-east/north-west direction. The remains of two longitudinal planks and a transverse plank fragment were exposed. There were two squared oak pegs 37mm and 42mm in diameter set at 70° off vertical to the east of the transverse plank. These pegs were similar to the squared peg from Cutting 1.

The south-east/north-west-running togher was also quite disturbed and was composed of three longitudinal and two transverse planks. One of the transverse planks underlay and the other overlay the longitudinals. Two of the longitudinals had regular square-cut mortices.

The third cutting, 2.5m x 5m, was established at the best-preserved part of the site, at the eastern extent of the plank trackway close to the drain edge. This cutting contained two longitudinal planks, laid side by side, both of which had square-cut mortice holes at their eastern ends. One of the mortices contained a squared oak peg, with a smaller peg inserted alongside it to keep it in place. The eastern part of the cutting contained a scattering of plank fragments and four pegs along the line of the site, which represented the last remains of the site. The pegs were 39-40mm in diameter, and their lengths ranged from 0.62m to 0.97m. The absence of longitudinal planks in the eastern part of the cutting is not unusual as it is possible for wetland sites of this nature to become displaced in antiquity owing to the waterlogged conditions in the surrounding bog.

Milled longitudinal and transverse planks were found on the field surface 5m to the north of Cutting 3. These timbers represent the second of the two possible junctions mentioned above. These timbers ran in a north-south direction, from the nearby dry land towards the excavated site. This site was similar in composition to the excavated site. It was composed of two upper longitudinal planks supported by transverse and irregularly laid planks and was traced for a distance of 20m.

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