Cutover & Cutaway Bogs -

Archaeology of the Cutover and Cutaway Bogs

Artifacts and structures of wood and stone, thousands of years old, survive perfectly preserved in the bogs of Ireland. An extensive campaign of excavation by the Irish Archaeological Wetland Unit is underway in the cutover and cutaway bogs. This work has revealed unique and fascinating insights into this important aspect of Ireland's cultural heritage.

A portion of the great Corlea Trackway which dates to 2,148 years before present. Each of the oak planks measure 3-4m across and were secured onto the bog surface with wooden pegs. (Photo: courtesy of the Corlea Trackway Visitor Centre, Co. Longford)

As they developed and spread across the landscape, raised bogs formed a protective covering for the archaeological sites and artifacts buried within and under them. The wet, anaerobic conditions mean that most organic materials buried in peat survive in a state of near prefect preservation. The archaeological sites and finds demonstrate the presence of people living around and exploiting the peatland areas in periods of the past from which other evidence seldom survives. Finds of bog butter, wooden artifacts, leather and textiles rarely survive on dry land archaeological sites and so such finds from bogs compliment the record from sites on dry land where stone, bone and pottery artifacts are more often found.

The Irish Archaeological Wetland Unit (IAWU)

The IAWU was established in 1990 by Dúchas - the Heritage Service in conjunction with University College Dublin. The role of the IAWU is to carry out an archaeological survey of the raised bogs owned by Bord na Móna which are being systematically harvested for peat. To date approximately 25% of the 85,000ha resource has been surveyed and over 2,000 new archaeological sites have been identified in Longford, Mayo and Offaly. It has been predicted that this figure will rise to 10,000 by the time the survey is completed. Most of these bogs are drained and de-vegetated, yet they contain important archaeological material. The IAWU can be contacted at Department of Archaeology, University College, Belfield, Dublin 4, Tel: 01-7068729. Web site: http://www.ucd.ie/~archdata/IAWU.html

Top Five Archaeological Heritage Finds in the Cutover and Cutaway Bog

Name
Age (Years Before Present BP)
Type
Description

Lough Boora Co. Offaly c. 10,000 BP Settlement Camp site on the shores of pre-bog lake.

Clonfinlough, Co. Offaly 2,900 BP Settlement Farming settlement of three houses protected within a wooden palisade.

Corlea, Co. Longford 2,148 BP Trackway Oak trackway, 4m wide and 1km long crossing the bog.

Dowris, Co. Offaly 2900-2600 BP Hoard Hoard of bronze objects including axes, spearheads and horns dating to the late Bronze Age.

Gallagh, Co. Galway c. 2,000 BP Body Body of a man pinned in the bog with wooden stakes, dressed in a deer skin cape tied at the neck with a band of willow rods.

Registered Charity Number CHY6829

Name	Age (Years Before Present BP)	Type	Description
Lough Boora Co. Offaly	c. 10,000 BP	Settlement	Camp site on the shores of pre-bog lake.
Clonfinlough, Co. Offaly	2,900 BP	Settlement	Farming settlement of three houses protected within a wooden palisade.
Corlea, Co. Longford	2,148 BP	Trackway	Oak trackway, 4m wide and 1km long crossing the bog.
Dowris, Co. Offaly	2900-2600 BP	Hoard	Hoard of bronze objects including axes, spearheads and horns dating to the late Bronze Age.
Gallagh, Co. Galway	c. 2,000 BP	Body	Body of a man pinned in the bog with wooden stakes, dressed in a deer skin cape tied at the neck with a band of willow rods.