2012:082 - FORMOYLE BEG/CLOONYCONRY MORE, Clare

Sample excavation was conducted in summer 2012 at a prehistoric hillfort in the townlands of Formoyle Beg and Cloonyconry More, near Broadford in south-east Clare. This project involved trenching the three proposed defensive lines of the hillfort, to record details of their form and construction. The investigation uncovered evidence for wooden fence structures associated with single bank-and-ditch arrangements surrounding both the inner and middle enclosures. Excavation of a possible third (outer) enclosure revealed a field drain of early modern date. This suggests the original hillfort was bivallate, with no convincing evidence for a third enclosure. Samples were taken for radiocarbon dating; there were no artefacts or occupation-related finds.