Worked Timbers and Wooden Vessel
In the townland of Gortcurreen, at the site of Gortcurreen 1, a group of worked timbers and the remains of a stave-built wooden vessel were discovered. All of the timbers were in secondary positions not fixed to a structure at the site and appear to have been dumped here in the past, and subsequently preserved in the peat.
The most significant of the timbers were three large structural beams containing numerous mortices along their lengths. These timbers are possible wall plates or floor support beams from a large structure. The remains of the wooden vessel comprised 25 staves, part of a wooden binding hoop and parts of the wooden base.
The date of the timbers and stave-built wooden vessel were not clear during the excavation and it is hoped that upcoming scientific analysis, including dendrochronological and radiocarbon dating, will help us to further understand where the timbers came from and why they might have been dumped at this location.