2001:1096 - BLACKWATER BOG, Cloniff and Curraghmore, Offaly

This site was excavated as part of the 2001 Bord na Móna (BnM) Mitigation Project. It was a post row that ran across the centre of the bog, dividing it in half. During the 2001 season the posts were recorded at 28 locations, and in many cases there was more than one post recorded in any individual sighting. In total 61 posts were recorded along its 340m length. The posts were all quite substantial, measuring up to 0.13m in diameter and between 0.4m and 2.3m in length. The majority were constructed from split oak timbers and were pointed at the end to aid insertion into the peat. At either end of the bog headland there were longitudinal and transverse split planks and roundwoods associated with the posts. These were still extant on the headland at a higher level because the bog had not been milled in this area. The associated planks indicate that these posts may not represent a post row, as previously thought, but could in fact be the remains of pegging for a togher that no longer survives on the milled peat surface today. The posts were, for the most part, all pointed to either a wedge, chisel or pencil point. Apart from the oak planks and roundwoods located in the high drains at either side of the bog, the only other remains of the site consist of split oak posts. The deposition of these oak posts did not form any definite pattern but instead they were placed at random intervals along the width of the bog. In most cases more than one post was associated with a single post sighting. The post row did not follow a straight line but meandered slightly. The majority of the posts had been split from large oak trees. Several roundwood posts were also recorded. The worked ends displayed numerous facets. The arrangement of the posts at some of the sightings is reminiscent of previously excavated plank trackways and associated posts. The posts would have held the plank walkway in place and, as they were over 2m deep, they would have been the last thing to survive on the BnM field surface.

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