Archaeology

Trackway in Corlea, Co. Longford

Our peatlands are a history book. Peat is renowned for preserving the organic and inorganic remains of settlements, including tombs, farms, trackways, implements and bog bodies. Perhaps lesser known is its ability to preserve environmental information in datable deposits of pollen and volcanic ash. This information is of international significance and could possibly assist in predicting future climate changes.

The surviving peatlands in Northern Ireland today are much smaller than they once were. Although hundreds of archaeological sites and individual objects have been found, thousands of other objects have been destroyed in the gradual drainage, reclamation and turf cutting that has been going on since the late 18th century.

Although the majority of finds are from Antrim and Londonderry, this is partly due to the fact that Ordnance Survey extensively surveyed both counties in the 1830s, collecting archaeological information as they went. Antiquarians working from Belfast formed collections from objects found on these surveys, many of which eventually found their way into museums. It is probable that a vast number of similar finds may have been lost from peatlands in other counties, particularly the widespread areas in Tyrone and Fermanagh.

This area of the website groups the archaeological information found in the peatlands of Northern Ireland as follows:

1. Pollen - vegetation and climate history
2. Pre-bog farming
3. Timber features - trackways and logboats
4. Tombs and stone circles
5. Bog bodies
6. Occasional finds