Treckers through time: recent archaeological survey results from Co. Offaly, Ireland

The work of the Irish Archaeological Wetland
Unit (IAWU) is primarily focused on surveying
the raised bogs of the Irish midlands. In this
region the State peat company, Bord na Móna,
industrially exploits 85,000ha of peat for energy,
horticulture and domestic fuel (Fig. 1). The main
brief of the archaeological survey is to fieldwalk
this area, to identify archaeological sites and to
facilitate their protection under National
Monuments legislation. Given the nature of
industrial peatlands it is also important that the
sites identified be recorded in sufficient detail to
gain some understanding of the structures in the
event they are destroyed before protection or
preservation.