County: Roscommon Site name: CLS146, Cloonshannagh, Cloonshanagh Bog
Sites and Monuments Record No.: n/a Licence number: 14E0273
Author: Tim Coughlan
Site type: Platform
Period/Dating: —
ITM: E 603023m, N 781040m
Latitude, Longitude (decimal degrees): 53.778932, -7.954135
Cloonshannagh Bog is located 3km north-west of Termonbarry and 2.5km west of Lough Forbes. The bog is part of the Bord na Móna Mountdillon Group and has a total area of 331 hectares. A survey by ADS in 2008 under licence 08E0645 identified a total of 88 sites. Upon re-assessment by ADS in 2013 under licence 13E0221 89 sites were recorded. Of the 89 sightings, 60 were platform sightings, 18 sightings were of archaeological wood and 11 were trackway sightings, all of varying lengths and widths. Of these 35 sites were listed for excavation as part of the current contract.
CLS146 consisted of very fragmentary remains of scattered brushwoods near the field surface. There was evidence of machine damage and it is possible that this represents the remains of a structure that was once more substantial. A number of small possible stakes/pegs were noted but it is unclear what function these served within the overall structure or whether they represented disturbed elements. The elements ranged in size from 0.13–0.86m long and 10–55mm in diameter.
The peat at the site was a reddish brown sphagnum peat that was poorly decomposed (H2) with some eriophorum and very occasional reed. There was little difference in the peat above the site and the peat within and beneath the site.
A date of AD 549–646 was returned from a piece of ash wood.
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