County: Offaly Site name: Rathdrum, Daingean South Bog
Sites and Monuments Record No.: n/a Licence number: 14E0301
Author: Jane Whitaker
Site type: Structure - Peatland
Period/Dating: —
ITM: E 643117m, N 728489m
Latitude, Longitude (decimal degrees): 53.304938, -7.353087
Daingean South Bog was surveyed by the Irish Archaeological Wetland Unit (IAWU) during the 2001 Archaeological Survey of Ireland Peatland Survey. In 2004 seven sites were excavated by Sinclair Turrell as part of the Bord na Móna Mitigation Project. A Re-Assessment survey was carried out on behalf of Bord na Móna in 2013 by the author under licence 13E0230 and subsequently twelve sites were excavated in August 2014 by IAC Ltd during the 2014-2017 BnM Mitigation Project.
There was no peat cover remaining over this site (OF-DAS004). The remains of a north-west/south-east oriented plank were fully exposed on the field surface. The upper surface of the plank was machine damaged and it measured 0.3m in width, 0.07 in depth and had a surviving length of 1.08m. Three associated roundwood pegs ranged in diameter from 0.07–0.08m and 0.82–1.08m in length. The pegs had been worked into chisel points with flat toolmarks that ranged in width from 0.03m to 0.04m and 0.02–0.09m in length. The peat below the site was poorly humified sphagnum peat with frequent patches of eriophorum and fine herbaceous roots with occasional calluna inclusions.
From examination of the original IAWU survey records (IAWU, 2002) and ADS 2005 excavation reports it is likely that the site recorded in 2013 as OF-DAS004 along with 14E0302/OF-DAS008 were part of the site recorded in 2001 during the IAWU survey as OF-RDM047 and subsequently excavated by ADS Ltd in 2005 under licence number 05E0557 which was dendrochronologically dated to AD 547±9.
IAC Ltd, Unit G1, Network Enterprise Park, Kilcoole, Co Wicklow
