2007:596 - Gowla Bog, Castle Ffrench East/ Muckloon/Gowla/Caltraghduff/Killaderry/Derryfadda, Galway

Gowla Bog was surveyed as part of the Peatland Survey 2007. The bog is situated within the Bord na Móna Derryfadda group, immediately west of the Derryfadda Works. It is bounded to the north, east and south by low-lying dry land and to the west by forestry and reclaimed land. The bog is 540ha in size and contained 74 production fields. It was largely in production, though grass was present on the fields along the western extent of the bog at the time of field-walking. Archaeological sites were recorded at the western extent of the central area within the bog and also in the south-east corner of the bog.
In total, 33 sites were recorded in Gowla Bog. Twenty sites, including eleven trackways, four platforms and five sightings of archaeological wood, were recorded in the south-east corner of the bog within Killaderry townland. The remaining thirteen sites were recorded in Gowla townland in proximity to the western limit of the bog at the central portion of the bog. These sites included one plank trackway, four trackways, four platforms and four sightings of archaeological wood.
The majority of the sites in the south-east corner of the bog were orientated towards the former dry-land island on which the Bord na Móna Derryfadda Works are located. Many of the sites were linear in nature and were almost exclusively composed of brushwood. Three longitudinally laid brushwood trackways ran parallel to each other on the north-west side of this cluster. Two of the sites were 15m in length, while the third was traced for 45m. They were identical in composition, comprising a single layer of dense longitudinally laid light brushwood. On average, the sites were well preserved, located c. 0.5m below the field surface.
A greater diversity of site type was located in the cluster within Gowla townland, on the western side of the bog. Many of these sites had been exposed on the field surface and were therefore in a poor to moderate state of preservation. The largest and best-preserved site was a platform located at the western limit of the bog. It measured 9.6m in length and was composed of up to five layers of densely laid roundwoods and brushwoods. This site was constructed directly on the clays at the base of the bog.
Post-excavation work is ongoing. Radiocarbon and dendrochronological testing will provide additional information regarding the date of the sites.