County: Longford Site name: DERRYCOLUMB 4 BOG, Derrindiff
Sites and Monuments Record No.: N/A Licence number: 01E0766
Author: Jane Whitaker, ADS Ltd.
Site type: Road - class 3 togher
Period/Dating: Bronze Age (2200 BC-801 BC)
ITM: E 607548m, N 760307m
Latitude, Longitude (decimal degrees): 53.592573, -7.885980
This site was excavated as part of the 2001 Bord na Móna Archaeological Mitigation Project. The site (99DBNW0024A) was recorded in 1999 as a convex band of five roundwoods extending at an acute angle into the east-north-east drain face. A site visit in early July 2001 revealed this site to be partially exposed on the field surface close to the drain edge and to be composed of split roundwood elements. This site was 10m south-east along the same drain as sighting 99DBNW0014K of the plank trackway. A single 2m by 2m cutting was recommended in the mitigation strategy document and this was placed 0.15m from the drain edge.
Overlying this site was moderately humified, Sphagnum-rich peat that contained a lot of patches of Eriophorum as well as areas of dried ericaceous heather roots. This peat was up to 0.28m in depth. The site was composed of closely set roundwoods and split roundwoods that were oriented east–west. The split roundwoods present were 50% half- and 50% quarter-splits. The elements ranged in diameter from 0.06m to 0.17m and from 0.8m to 2.4m in length. The wood was all in poor condition; many elements were broken and were soft in texture, apart from one yew roundwood.
The area around the cutting was investigated using slot-trenches in an attempt to establish an orientation for the site. From these investigations it appears that the site was a north–south-running togher composed of transverse roundwoods. It was traced for a length of 1.6m beyond the northern extent of the cutting. It is possible that it joined with the plank trackway, which was a maximum of 3m beyond the north-east corner of the cutting. It was not traced to the south, but investigations in this direction were hampered by the proximity of a drain and high stockpile field. Although the size of the cutting was limited, the site was traced further northward, running towards the Bronze Age plank trackway, using slot-trenches. As mentioned above, it is thought that this site may be a short togher composed of transversely laid roundwoods running in a north–south direction. The roundwoods were similar in appearance to the substructure of the nearby plank trackway, a continuation of which was excavated in the adjoining bog, Derrycolumb 5. This possible association with the plank trackway will be investigated using dating evidence.
Windsor House, 11 Fairview Strand, Dublin 3
