2009:593 - BOHEH, Mayo

Eight test-trenches were excavated at chosen locations in this field, where the prospective land buyer hoped to construct a private dwelling. The 6inch OS map of 1838 showed the ^Togher Patrick’ running in a slightly curving fashion roughly east–west across the southern end of the field. The field was almost exclusively of peat, 0.4–1.4m thick, while small pockets of grassy gravel spreads occurred at intervals at the very south end. Present-day access to this field is only from the south and testing showed evidence of surviving sections of the Togher Patrick at this end of the field in four of the trenches. The best-defined sector was from a central trench, though the details from this are generally reflective of the other three also.

The top part of this feature appeared 0.35m below peat at the west side of a field and 0.22m below much drier peaty scraw in the central trench. At the top there was a grey/brown gravelly clay, thickest at 0.14m near the centre but much shallower at either end. It also appeared slightly higher near the centre and with numerous loose stones both on and within it. These stones varied from small pebbles to as large as 0.4m by 0.3m by 0.12m. This upper layer was only found associated with a narrow black peaty band, 0.14m-thick on average, which lay directly beneath it. There were no visible intrusions from this layer, which in turn overlay a white marl/daub, 0.08m thick on average. This marl or daub occurred naturally in the less peaty ground but was laid down in many sectors, elsewhere, and it formed the base of this man-made trackway. Below this was an orange/brown stony clay, 0.3–0.42m thick, merging into orange daub or dauby shale at the base. In the boggier ground near the west end of the field, peat continued beneath it for some 1.2m in places, with white marl underlying this. In the drier ground at least, haphazard stones at or close to the edges may have formed some rough border to the trackway. No finds were recovered.
The feature was evidently laid down in poorer quality and damper ground as is the case with the west half of Boheh townland; the east half of this townland contains a rock outcrop inscribed with art (St Patrick’s Chair) on an overlooking ridge, with the same togher running adjacent to its south side.
To my knowledge, this is the only recorded section of any man-made section of the Togher Patrick and its location ties in exactly with its representation on the 1838 OS map.