County: Offaly Site name: BALLYDERMOT NORTH BOG, Ballydermot/ Clonmel/Cushaling
Sites and Monuments Record No.: N/A Licence number: 04E1002
Author: Sinclair Turrell, Archaeological Development Services Ltd.
Site type: Excavation - miscellaneous
Period/Dating: Multi-period
ITM: E 664803m, N 726894m
Latitude, Longitude (decimal degrees): 53.288391, -7.028079
Ballydermot North Bog is situated south of Edenderry, Co. Offaly, west of the unclassified road from Edenderry to Rathangan, which forms its eastern limit. It is bordered to the north by Codd South Bog and by Ballydermot South Bog to the south-east. There is pastureland to the west and south-west. The main access is provided by a gravel road that runs from the public road to the Bord na Móna (BnM) tea centre situated in the centre of the bog. Ballydermot North Bog covers an area of 600ha and is part of the BnM Derrygreenagh/Allen group of works.
Ballydermot North consists of 104 fields running east-west. A lot of natural pine and oak wood occurs in the centre of the bog, to the west of the forested area. The bog had previously been hand-cut and the resultant bog holes subsequently levelled by BnM prior to the commencement of sod-turf production. Consequently the peat in several areas of the bog appeared to have been redeposited and some of the archaeological wood was disturbed.
A total of 36 sites were identified and recorded at Ballydermot North. The number of sites identified was initially much higher, but many sites consisted of sawn wood and, after closer examination, at the recording stage these sites were discarded as being of modern origin. Most of the sites consisted of single pieces of worked wood, usually birch, many of which were ex situ or lying on redeposited peat. This wood was usually still very solid and many pieces had the bark intact. The condition of the wood suggested that the pieces might be of relatively recent origin. Since this wood had been worked with an axe, it was sampled, in order that the woodworking could be examined more closely and that a representative sample could be dated. In this way it was hoped that the modern wood might be distinguished from any archaeological wood. Eight sites were dated and six of these were shown to be modern in origin (OF-BTN001, 002, 003, 020, 030 and 041), while the remaining two were late medieval (OF-BTN044 and 69).
Windsor House, 11 Fairview Strand, Dublin 3
