2014:290 - Pallasboy, Toar Bog, Westmeath

NMI Burial Excavation Records

County: Westmeath Site name: Pallasboy, Toar Bog

Sites and Monuments Record No.: n/a Licence number: 14E0284

Author: Jane Whitaker

Site type: Structure - Peatland

Period/Dating:

ITM: E 640871m, N 735320m

Latitude, Longitude (decimal degrees): 53.366498, -7.385894

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.
This structure (WM-TOR024) was composed of mainly north-south oriented brushwood and heavy roundwood elements many of which had intact bark present. The elements were contained within an area measuring 1.58m x 2.6m in size and 0.44m in maximum depth. They ranged in diameter from 0.02–0.08m and 0.12–1.58m in length. A date of AD 995–1154 was returned from a piece of apple brushwood. The underlying peat was mainly poorly humified with some calluna in places and a single sighting of phragmities.

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