2014:294 - Killavally,Toar Bog, Westmeath

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.
Where it remained the peat overlying WM-TOR022 consisted of a tough fibrous moderately humified sphagnum peat with frequent patches of eriophorum and dense herbaceous roots. The excavated cutting contained closely placed east-west oriented roundwood and brushwood delineated by north-south oriented brushwood contained within an area measuring 2.4m x 2.85m in size. The elements were machine-damaged and fractured along their lengths and measured 0.01–0.06m in diameter and 0.18–1.8m in length. Several of the elements had evidence of wood-working in the form of flat faceted chisel and wedge point ends. The underlying peat was moderately humified sphagnum peat with moderate eriophorum and calluna and frequent fine herbaceous root inclusions. A date of AD 1291–1397 was returned from a piece of alder roundwood.

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