2014:344 - CLS155, Cloonshannagh, Cloonshannagh Bog, Roscommon

NMI Burial Excavation Records

County: Roscommon Site name: CLS155, Cloonshannagh, Cloonshannagh Bog

Sites and Monuments Record No.: n/a Licence number: 14E0275

Author: Tim Coughlan

Site type: Class 3 Togher Road

Period/Dating:

ITM: E 603023m, N 780955m

Latitude, Longitude (decimal degrees): 53.778168, -7.954136

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.

A 5m by 2m cutting was opened at the recorded sighting of site CLS155. The overlying peat consisted of moderate to well decomposed (H3) sphagnum-type peat with some inclusions of eriophorum and calluna. There were also some very occasional hazelnut shells.

The site consisted of predominantly brushwood elements generally orientated north–south although somewhat haphazard in terms of construction. Most of the elements were poorly preserved. The elements were most dense in the west of the cutting near the drain edge. There was one peg which may provide evidence for a connection to the nearby site RO-CLS154, which also contained some vertical pegs. It is possible that the elements identified in the excavation have been discarded from another structure that may have been substantially removed by the drain.

A fragment of AsH (20 years) was chosen for AMS dating from samples taken from the 2013 ADS survey and forwarded for analysis; it returned a result of AD 1645–1950 dating this feature to the post-medieval/early modern period. However, given the Bronze Age date of the nearby RO-CLS154 a short distance to the south it seems unlikely that the AMS date returned for RO-CLS155 is accurate, and it is possible that the sample was contaminated, possibly by a timber displaced during drain clearance works. Given the fragmentary nature of the remains at the site further dating may not be merited. The dates of the nearby site (RO-CLS155) and a newly identified site (RO-CLS186) may provide sufficient evidence of the date range for wider area of activity. The erroneous nature of the returned AMS date for the site makes it difficult to place the site within a wider context at present.

IAC Ltd, Unit G1, Network Enterprise Park, Kilcoole, Co. Wicklow