County: Westmeath Site name: Rathgarrett, Toar Bog
Sites and Monuments Record No.: n/a Licence number: 14E0295
Author: Jane Whitaker
Site type: Structure - Peatland
Period/Dating: —
ITM: E 642551m, N 735775m
Latitude, Longitude (decimal degrees): 53.370453, -7.360597
Toar Bog was initially surveyed by the Irish Archaeological Wetland Unit during the 2000 Archaeological Survey of Ireland Peatland Survey. In 2005 and 2006 33 sites were excavated under 25 licences by the author. A re-assessment survey of Toar Bog was carried out in 2013 and subsequently a further 19 sites were proposed for excavation in 2014 as part of the Bord na Móna Mitigation Project in the townlands of Killavally, Pallasboy, Montrath and Rathgarrett.
WM-TOR067 was located in the same drain face and immediately above the northern extent of WM-TOR064f (14E0294 cutting 1). It measured 1.8–2m in width and 3.2m in length and was composed of a fairly dense arrangement of north-south oriented brushwood located in the base of a small area of pool peat. The elements were in a moderate to good condition with the brushwood ranging in diameter from 12–60mm and a maximum length of 2.15m. The site had no apparent form or structure and it is possible that its purpose was to fill an open pool. A date of 356–110BC was returned from a piece of ash brushwood. The peat above and surrounding this site was poorly humified sphagnum pool peat with occasional patches of eriophorum and menanythes inclusions.
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