Palaeo-environmental Coring

As part of the archaeological investigations for the N69 road project, palaeoenvironmental specialists Carlos Chique and Karen Molloy from NUI Galway took a pollen core from Derra West Bog close to the location of bypass.

The team use pollen trapped in the layers of peat to create a picture of the changing environment through time. The core taken from Derra West Bog spans most of the Holocene (the last c. 12,000 years of Earth’s history) and comprises a very comprehensive record of human activity spanning from the Neolithic (c. 4000 BC) to relatively modern times (c. AD 1600).

Analysis of the core is currently underway in NUI Galway. The results will provide important insights into how human activity, particularly farming, has altered and shaped the natural environment of the Listowel area since prehistoric times.

Dr Karen Molloy and her team
AMS

The Archaeology of the Listowel Bypass

Download a poster showcasing some of the archaeological finds from excavations along the N69 Bypass. Alternatively, you can read through a StoryMap of the dig.

Video Documentaries

As part of cataloguing the archaeological works on the N69 Listowel Bypass Project, a set of mini-documentaries were created. Each of these lasts just over 10 minutes.
AMS

Fulachtaí Fia at Listowel

Five burnt mounds, also referred to as fulachtaí fia, were discovered along the route of the bypass. Burnt mounds are the most common prehistoric site type in Ireland.
AMS

Making Medieval Charcoal

At Coolnaleen Lower we found several charcoal-production kilns. Charcoal was an important fuel for metalworking in the past.
Dr. Karen Molloy and her team from NUIGAMS

Palaeo-environmental Coring

As part of the archaeological investigations for the N69, palaeoenvironmental specialists Carlos Chique and Karen Molloy from NUIG took a pollen core from Derra West Bog.
AMS

From the Bog

In the townland of Gortcurreen, a group of worked timbers and the remains of a stave-built wooden vessel were discovered within the peat.

An Old House at Curraghatoosane

At Curraghatoosane we found the remains of a traditional thatched house that was occupied from the early nineteenth century until the 1950s.