2006:2070 - TOAR BOG, Pallasboy, Westmeath

This site was one of twenty excavated in Toar Bog, Co. Westmeath, as part of the 2006 Bord na Móna archaeological mitigation programme. Five sites had previously been excavated by the author in 2005 (see No. 2042, Excavations 2006). This site was identified in 2000 as two sites that were a secondary togher (WM-PBY091) composed of longitudinally laid light brushwood and twigs, identified at three sightings on the field surface, and a tertiary togher (WM-PBY125) composed of brushwood and twigs running in a north-north-east/south-south-west direction on the field surface. These two sites were excavated in two small 2m by 2m cuttings on the same field surface 5m apart. Sampling carried out during the survey had greatly disturbed both sites. The remaining brushwood and roundwood uncovered appeared to represent the remains of small platform structures. Cutting 1 (WM-PBY091) contained nine brushwoods, most of which were oriented north–south but had no apparent function. Cutting 2 (WM-PBY125) contained a small amount of brushwood elements, again with no apparent function. These sites had been disturbed by machine or sampling activities and their function and construction was no longer apparent. The excavated elements were sampled for wood species identification and dating purposes.

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