County: Westmeath Site name: Killavally, Toar Bog
Sites and Monuments Record No.: n/a Licence number: 14E0278
Author: Jane Whitaker
Site type: Structure - Peatland
Period/Dating: —
ITM: E 645633m, N 724765m
Latitude, Longitude (decimal degrees): 53.271260, -7.315869
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.
The 2013 survey recorded WM-TOR003 as irregularly-placed brushwood elements partially exposed on the field surface and in section at the drain edge. The elements were branch fragments and ranged in diameter from 0.01m to 0.04m in diameter and had a maximum surviving length of 0.3m. The peat was poor to moderately humified sphagnum-rich with eriophorum and calluna inclusions. This site was not re-located during a pre-season field visit in June 2014. The find spot was identified by GPS on 28 August 2014 when the drain face and an area measuring 3m x 3m above the drain face sighting was cleaned by hand however nothing remained in situ. A date of AD 1284–1393 was returned from a piece of willow brushwood sampled during the survey.
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