County: Roscommon Site name: CLS105, Caul, Cloonshannagh Bog
Sites and Monuments Record No.: n/a Licence number: 14E0262
Author: Tim Coughlan
Site type: Platform
Period/Dating: —
ITM: E 602877m, N 780931m
Latitude, Longitude (decimal degrees): 53.777953, -7.956351
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 4m x 14m cutting was set up along the eastern drain edge above CLS103 and CLS105 to investigate whether these were part of a single site or two separate sites. The sites had been issued separate numbers during the course of the 2013 Re-Assessment Survey but while they were in close proximity their relationship was unclear during the limited investigation carried out at that time. Excavation and subsequent dating received showed that they were two separate structures.
The overlying peat was poorly decomposed (H1+) sphagnum peat with frequent inclusions of calluna, moderate inclusions of eriophorum and occasional menyanthes with sedge, wood chippings and rooty material.
Located 0.9m north of CLS103 and 2.6m south of CLS106 this site (CLS105) was recorded in section in the drain face during the 2013 Re-Assessment Survey. Excavation revealed a moderately dense arrangement of mainly east–west oriented brushwood and roundwood elements contained within an area measuring 1.6m x 3.13m. The elements were in poor condition and measured 0.01–0.07m in diameter and 0.09–0.79m in length. While cleaning back the entire width of the 4m wide cutting a small wooden stave (14E262:1052:1) was recovered 0.9m to the south-east of the main cluster of wood.
The peat surrounding and immediately below the upper wood was well decomposed (H4-) sphagnum peat with occasional calluna and menyanthes, woody root material and twig inclusions.
The underlying wood was composed of a sparse scatter of haphazardly arranged poorly preserved brushwood elements. The elements ranged in diameter from 0.02–0.06m with a maximum length of 0.3m and were contained within an area measuring 0.6m x 1.65m in size. Seven mainly upright brushwood pegs (C1056) measuring 0.02–0.03m in diameter with a maximum length of 0.08m formed the basal layer of this site.
A fragment of hazel, 5 yrs, was chosen for AMS dating from samples taken from the 2013 ADS survey and returned a result of 749–407 BC.
Interpretation / conclusions
This small platform site, located at the northern extent of the larger platform (CLS103), was composed of east-west oriented brushwood and roundwood elements supported by a sparse scatter of brushwood and brushwood pegs. It measured 1.6m x 3.13m in size and its function remains unclear.
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