59:
52:
485:, O'Sullivan remarks that "there is a growing sense that these were not structures designed to cross the bog, but to get into the bog". Massive structures such as the Corlea Trackway may also have served to get into the bog, perhaps for ritual purposes, rather than merely to cross it. Whatever its purpose, the roadway was usable for only a few years. Gradually covered by the rising bog and sinking under its own weight, it was covered by the bog within a decade, and perhaps less, where it remained preserved for two millennia.
430:
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456:, built from split planks laid on top of raised rails and suitable for wheeled traffic. The Corlea Trackway is made from oak planks 3 to 3.5 metres (9.8 to 11.5 ft) long and around 15 cm (5.9 in) thick laid on rails around 1.2 metres (3 ft 11 in) apart. The road was at least 1 km (0.62 mi) long.
465:
for the rails. The Corlea
Trackway ended on a small island, from which a second trackway, excavated in 1957 and since radiocarbon dated also to 148 BC, again around 1 kilometre long, connected to dry land on the far side of the bog. The construction of the roadway required a great deal of
460:
study suggests that the timber used in construction was felled in late 148 BC or early in 147 BC and the road built then. Raftery estimated that the sleepers alone amount to a 300 large oak trees, or a thousand wagon-loads, with a similar volume of
526:
Mayne Bog ancient trackway in Co
Westmeath uncovered in 2005. It dated back to 1200BC-820BC and was made of planks of oak some 4.4m wide, running for at least 675m. It was destroyed by peat extraction in
843:
110:
785:
818:
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838:
808:
372:. While today a generally flat and open landscape, in the Iron Age it was covered by bog, quicksand, and ponds, surround by dense woodlands of
545:
426:
in an area of around 125 hectares and further work has raised the total to 108 with a further 76 in the nearby
Derryoghil bog.
502:
tasks such as planting a forest and building a road across a bog where none had ever been before at a place called Móin Lámraige.
559:
697:
51:
823:
350:
769:
750:
488:
The Corlea
Trackway, seemingly constructed in a single year, has suggested comparisons with the Irish language tale
422:
to investigate the site before it was destroyed by peat-digging. Excavations to 1991 in Corlea bog revealed 59
237:
516:
269:
256:
661:, chapter 5, notes that the Corlea Trackway would have served to connect the later significant sites at
418:
as had been expected, and an archaeological project was established under the leadership of
Professor
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laid on heaped brushwood on top of the surface, built to be used by people on foot. Four, including
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The trackway is situated in an area which is the site of industrial-scale mechanised
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labour, comparable to that used in the construction of ritual monuments such as
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698:"Exploring past people's interaction with wetland environments in Ireland"
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35:
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657:, pp. 387–391, argues for a solely ritual purpose. Raftery,
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546:"Ionad Cuairteoirí Bhóthar Chorr Liath | Oidhreacht Éireann"
481:
The purpose of the Corlea
Trackway is uncertain. For the smaller
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396:. The terrain was dangerous and impassible for much of the year.
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743:
Britain BC: Life in
Britain and Ireland before the Romans
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346:
184:
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Buildings and structures completed in the 2nd century BC
762:
Pagan Celtic
Ireland: The Enigma of the Irish Iron Age
349:
planks in 148–147 BC, making it contemporary with the
622:, pp. 382–385, fig. 90 & fig. 91; Raftery,
560:"National Monuments of County Longford in State Care"
800:
695:
410:In 1984, timbers recovered from Corlea were
819:Buildings and structures in County Longford
635:O'Sullivan, "Exploring", pp. 173–174.
341:, in Ireland. It was known locally as the
34:
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586:
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306:The reconstructed Corlea Trackway in 2009
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814:Archaeological sites in County Longford
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364:, principally to supply the peat-fired
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839:Prehistoric wooden trackways in Europe
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705:Proceedings of the Royal Irish Academy
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569:. National Monument Service. p. 1
809:National monuments in County Longford
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388:while higher ground was covered by
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494:(The Wooing of Étaín), where King
452:, the Corlea Trackway proper, are
14:
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414:to the Iron Age, rather than the
644:O'Sullivan, "Exploring", p. 175.
57:
50:
764:. London: Thames & Hudson.
244:/corlea-trackway-visitor-centre
786:Corlea Trackway Visitor Centre
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1:
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270:National monument of Ireland
16:Iron Age trackway in Ireland
7:
517:History of roads in Ireland
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444:are constructed from woven
10:
870:
824:History of County Longford
696:O'Sullivan, Aidan (2007),
345:. It was constructed from
163:1 kilometre (0.62 mi)
745:. London: HarperCollins.
717:10.3318/PRIC.2007.107.147
339:Longford, County Longford
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370:Electricity Supply Board
88:Keenagh, County Longford
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760:Raftery, Barry (1994).
477:Wooden planks and nails
171:3.2 metres (10 ft)
145:52 m (171 ft)
790:Office of Public Works
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440:The majority of these
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433:Part of the recovered
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403:Part of the recovered
333:, near the village of
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219:Office of Public Works
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75:Alternative name
659:Pagan Celtic Ireland
624:Pagan Celtic Ireland
609:, pp. 381–382.
594:Pagan Celtic Ireland
126:53.62667°N 7.85333°W
66:Shown within Ireland
726:on 20 November 2008
522:R392 road (Ireland)
458:Dendrochronological
122: /
99:Midlands of Ireland
23:
567:heritageireland.ie
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360:harvesting by the
320:Bóthar Chorr Liath
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285:Reference no.
225:Public access
131:53.62667; -7.85333
28:Bóthar Chorr Liath
21:
412:radiocarbon dated
351:Siege of Carthage
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257:National Monument
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793:Heritage Ireland
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719:, archived from
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242:/places-to-visit
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829:Iron Age Europe
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366:power stations
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728:, retrieved
721:the original
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631:
626:, chapter 5.
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596:, chapter 5.
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571:. Retrieved
566:
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362:Bord na Móna
355:
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18:
711:: 147–203,
512:Sweet Track
496:Eochu Airem
343:Danes' Road
337:, south of
253:Designation
129: /
105:Coordinates
803:Categories
690:References
680:Britain BC
655:Britain BC
620:Britain BC
607:Britain BC
416:Bronze Age
210:Site notes
195:148–147 BC
114:53°37′36″N
682:, p. 386.
592:Raftery,
215:Ownership
117:7°51′12″W
90:, Ireland
795:website)
788:(at the
741:(2003).
663:Cruachan
506:See also
450:Corlea 1
435:trackway
405:trackway
327:trackway
324:Iron Age
322:) is an
200:Cultures
181:Material
154:Causeway
142:Altitude
83:Location
678:Pryor,
667:Uisnech
653:Pryor,
618:Pryor,
605:Pryor,
483:toghers
468:barrows
446:hurdles
442:toghers
424:toghers
368:of the
335:Keenagh
233:Website
192:Founded
176:History
854:147 BC
849:148 BC
768:
749:
730:1 June
573:2 July
378:willow
331:togher
280:Corlea
160:Length
95:Region
724:(PDF)
701:(PDF)
563:(PDF)
532:Notes
527:2013.
500:Midir
498:sets
463:birch
386:alder
382:hazel
374:birch
329:, or
316:Irish
187:beams
168:Width
86:Near
766:ISBN
747:ISBN
732:2008
665:and
575:2020
392:and
384:and
358:peat
310:The
259:#677
150:Type
713:doi
709:107
394:ash
390:oak
347:oak
288:677
240:.ie
228:Yes
185:oak
805::
707:,
703:,
583:^
565:.
470:.
380:,
376:,
353:.
318::
774:.
755:.
715::
669:.
577:.
548:.
314:(
246:/
Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.
