County: Roscommon Site name: CLS127, Cloonshannagh, Cloonshannagh Bog
Sites and Monuments Record No.: n/a Licence number: 14E0266
Author: Tim Coughlan
Site type: Platform
Period/Dating: —
ITM: E 602937m, N 780924m
Latitude, Longitude (decimal degrees): 53.777890, -7.955441
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 single cutting measuring 3m x 2.5m was excavated at the recorded location of site CLS127. The peat above the structure was dark, orangey brown in colour, with some calluna roots, but mainly sterile. It was dominated by sphagnum peat and appeared laminated in places.
The excavated remains consisted of scattered brushwood elements that were randomly set with no clear pattern. The elements were of moderate to poor preservation and varied in size from 0.08-1.55m in length and 30–80mm in width/diameter. Two timbers orientated north-west/south-east in the north of the cutting had a similar orientation to timbers recorded during the excavation of Site CLS115c, on the other side of the drain from Site CLS115b, which was located immediately north of the site under discussion. It seemed likely that these two timbers were associated with Site CLS115 and the cutting was not extended to follow them. It is likely that Site CLS127 may represent a scatter of wood discarded from Site 115 or another site nearby. It is hoped that confirmation of dating of Site CLS115 will assist in this interpretation.
The peat beneath and around the structure was similar in nature to that excavated above the structure and patches of eriophorum were evident in the north-west and south-west of the cutting.
A fragment of hazel, 17 yrs, was chosen for AMS dating from samples taken from the 2013 ADS survey and returned a result of 756–409 BC.
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