County: Kildare Site name: BARNARAN BOG, BARNARAN/LULLYBEG
Sites and Monuments Record No.: N/A Licence number: 04E1007
Author: Jane Whitaker, Archaeological Development Services Ltd, Windsor House, 11 Fairview Strand, Dublin 3.
Site type: Peatland survey
Period/Dating: —
ITM: E 667428m, N 724915m
Latitude, Longitude (decimal degrees): 53.270285, -6.989144
Barnaran Bog is located in Co. Kildare in the Derrygreenagh group of bogs. It is immediately west of the Lullymore-Allenwood road, the R414. It is also accessible at its western extent from a small third-class road known locally as the 'German's road', which runs northwards from the Lullymore- Rathangan road (R414) to the Edenderry-Rathangan road between Blackriver and Barnaran and Bulge bogs. Extensive turbury plots are located along the eastern and south-eastern extents, while the dry land island of Lullybeg is located at the north-west. Cappanargid Bog is a narrow spur of bog running southwards from the main body of Barnaran Bog. Barnaran Bog covers an area of 320ha and is part of the Bord na M—na Derrygreenagh group of bogs.
Barnaran Bog was initially produced for sod peat from the 1950s to the mid-1990s for Allenwood power station prior to being converted to milled peat production six to seven years ago for the new power station at Clonbullogue. There are a total of 92 production fields, oriented east-west. There are several large drains that run east-west that are heavily vegetated and overgrown. The whole bog was in production at the time of the survey.
Seven sites were surveyed in Barnaran Bog. Four of the five dates analysed were modern in origin. A secondary togher (KD-BRN003) was Early Christian in date, but the remaining four dated sites were modern. These included two tertiary toghers, KDBRN007 and KD-BRN008, a platform (KD-BRN002) and wood remains (KD-BRN005). The remaining undated sites are also thought to be modern.
