County: Roscommon Site name: Mountdillon Bog
Sites and Monuments Record No.: RO030-015 Licence number: 10E0338
Author: Nicola Rohan & Jane Whitaker
Site type: Gravel/stone trackway
Period/Dating: —
ITM: E 601456m, N 774820m
Latitude, Longitude (decimal degrees): 53.723044, -7.977939
Archaeological excavations took place in Mountdillon townland in Mountdillon Bog, Co. Roscommon. The excavation was directed by Nicola Rohan of Archaeological Development Services (ADS) Ltd., undertaken on behalf of Bord na Móna as part of the 2010 Mitigation Project.
The site is recorded in the Record of Monuments and Places as RO030-015 and was re-identified during the Peatland Survey 2008 when it was recorded at three sightings (MDN001a-c) at the north-eastern extent of the bog where it was visible for 30m. It was oriented west-north-west/east-south-east, which is broadly parallel to the modern road to its north, and the site continues into an area of uncut bog where it is believed it survives in situ for potentially a further 200m.
Two cuttings were excavated to reveal that the site was composed of very compact limestone gravel with occasional small, medium and large stone inclusions. While no dateable material was found within or underlying the trackway within the two cuttings, dates were obtained from peat samples taken above and below the site which set it in the early medieval or medieval period.
c/o IAC Ltd, Unit G1 Network Enterprise Park, Kilcoole, Co. Wicklow
