This article is from page 17 of the 2008-08-19 edition of The Clare People. OCR mistakes are to be expected so download the original SWF or the rendered page 17 JPG
THE people of Clare have been in- vited to get their hands dirty and take part in areal life Time Team style ex- cavation in north Clare next week.
The Caherconnell Stone Fort in Carron will be the venue for an open week long excavation, with members of the public being given the oppor- tunity to work side by side with ex- perts.
The excavation will be co-ordinat- ed by Dr Michelle Comber of NUI, Galway and archaeologist Graham Hull of Crusheen company TUAS.
This is the second in a series of open excavations at the Caherconnell fort, which is widely believed to be one of the most archeological signifi- cant findings in the area.
Last year excavation revealed the stone fort in Caherconnell was in- habited for centuries later than it had been previously thought, meaning that the traditional Gaelic way of life existed in the Burren for hundreds of years after the Anglo-Norman inva- sion.
This year’s excavation will focus on a souterrain or underground passage which has been recently discovered at the fort. It is believed that the pas- sageway may have been used as a means of escape or even as a primi- tive refrigerator by the locals, but there is no way of knowing for sure without excavation.
“Tt’s actually very exciting. There is something there, some form of Souterrain, but until we excavate we won’t be able to find out exactly
what,” said Graham Hull of TUAS Ireland Ltd.
“There are a number of different things that the souterrain could have been used for. We don’t know all the answers and digging helps us to put together the pieces of the puzzle.
“Volunteers are very welcome. We will give all the basic training need- ed on site. As well as that people can come up and look at the work and someone will be there to speak with them and explain what is going on.”
The fort, which is owned and oper- ated by the Davoren family, has been
described in academic studies as “a perfect fort” as it is twice the size of the standard cashels and is possibly Ireland’s best preserved stone forts.
The dig will take place from August 24 to 31 and anyone interested in tak- ing part should call 087 9693189.