County: Offaly Site name: BALLYNAKILL
Sites and Monuments Record No.: N/A Licence number: 03E0926
Author: Eoin Corcoran, for ADS Ltd.
Site type: Road - class 1 togher
Period/Dating: Prehistoric (12700 BC-AD 400)
ITM: E 660100m, N 727956m
Latitude, Longitude (decimal degrees): 53.298495, -7.098403
Following a survey by the Irish Archaeological Wetland Unit (IAWU) in 2002 of Cloncreen Bog, a Bord na Móna production bog, a number sites were selected for excavation in the summer of 2003. This site was identified as a primary togher and a date of 2835–2033 cal. BC was obtained from a sample taken.
Four 5m by 4m cuttings were excavated. Two (those furthest north) contained no archaeological remains. The furthest south contained a closely set arrangement of north-south-oriented brushwood elements with two transverse brushwoods underneath. Twigs filled in the gaps between the longitudinal elements. This arrangement was traced a further 7m to the south by means of slot-trenches. The final cutting contained, at its northern end, a ten-sail hurdle panel on the field surface, orientated north-south. It was c. 3m in length and 1m wide.
Upon excavation, a second hurdle panel, 0.4m below the first, was exposed. This was more substantial, being nearly 5m long and 1.3m wide. At either end of this lower panel was an arrangement of east-west-oriented heavy brushwood. This trackway of mixed construction was traced for a length of c. 25m.
Windsor House, 11 Fairview Strand, Dublin 3
