2005:856 - COOLNACARTAN BOG, Ballynamuddagh/Clonaddadoran/Clonkeen/Cloosecullen/Colt/Coolnacartan/Togher, Laois

Coolnacartan Bog is situated between the N7 and N8 motorways, 2km south-west of Portlaoise. The bog is irregular in shape, with the two main production areas to the north-east and south-west being linked by a narrow waist of bog, and extensive private turf cutting around the fringes, especially on the north-western, south-western and north-eastern sides, having eaten into the main body of the bog. Coolnacartan Bog is surrounded by farmland, with areas of forestry on the north-eastern, south-western and eastern sides. The bog covers an area of 529ha and forms part of the Bord na Móna Coolnamona group of works. The bog consists of 225 fields running widthways in a north-west/south-east direction, with an industrial railway running along the south-eastern edge. Production is concentrated in the east central and south-western area of the bog and was also taking place in the north-eastern corner of the bog, the fields here being almost worked out. There were areas of heavy scrub in the south-eastern, west central and north-western parts of the bog, some of which were inaccessible. In some production areas the drain faces were overgrown and in the north-eastern corner the field surfaces were also covered with loose peat.

Two sites were identified in Coolnacartan Bog, consisting of a small field surface deposit of wood (LS-CTN001) and a site identified as a possible togher recorded on two separate field surfaces (LS-CTN002). The latter was discounted when the dating results were received, as it was modern in origin.

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