Road - class 2 togher, Derrylough, Co. Longford

Co. Longford |

Roads & Tracks

Road – class 2 togher, Derrylough, Co. Longford

Preserved in the bogland of Derrylough in County Longford, a short stretch of ancient roadway has survived in conditions that would have destroyed almost any other kind of structure.

What looks, at first description, like a modest bundle of sticks is in fact a carefully laid togher, the Irish term for a wooden trackway built across wet or marshy ground, designed to carry people and goods safely over terrain that would otherwise be impassable.

The trackway runs east to west and measures thirty metres in length, just over one and a half metres wide, and around seventeen centimetres deep. It was constructed from roundwood, meaning small-diameter branches rather than sawn timber, using both transverse and longitudinal pieces laid in combination to create a stable surface. The wood is alder and hazel, two species that would have been readily available in wet woodland environments and were commonly chosen for this kind of work, partly because of their tolerance for damp conditions. Each piece averages around six centimetres in diameter. A single worked peg was also found at the site, a small but telling detail: it suggests the structure was not simply laid on the surface but was pegged or held in place, implying a degree of deliberate engineering rather than improvised crossing. Toghers of this type are classified within a broader typology of Irish bog roads, and a class 2 designation indicates a moderately substantial construction. The data was gathered by the former Irish Archaeological Wetland Unit at University College Dublin, which systematically recorded such features across Irish boglands before drainage and peat cutting rendered many of them inaccessible or destroyed them entirely.

Rated 0 out of 5

Visitor Notes

Review type for post source and places source type not found
Added by
Picture of Pete F
Pete F
IrishHistory.com is passionate about helping people discover and connect with the rich stories of their local communities.
Please use the form below to submit any photos you may have of Road – class 2 togher, Derrylough, Co. Longford. We're happy to take any suggested edits you may have too. Please be advised it will take us some time to get to these submissions. Thank you.
Name
Email
Message
Upload images/documents
Maximum file size: 100 MB
If you'd like to add an image or a PDF please do it here.

Advertisement