2019:317 - Ballaghaline, Doolin, Clare

NMI Burial Excavation Records

County: Clare Site name: Ballaghaline, Doolin

Sites and Monuments Record No.: CL008A010 Licence number: 15E0145

Author: Michael Lynch

Site type: Prehistoric industrial site

Period/Dating:

ITM: E 506342m, N 696532m

Latitude, Longitude (decimal degrees): 53.011290, -9.395677

The monitoring of the clay layer beneath the storm beach at the mouth of the Aille River in Ballaghaline near Doolin, which has been ongoing since 2014, continued in 2019. This recording of areas of erosion where concentrations of shale flakes, axe roughouts and hammerstones were identified led to the excavation in 2015, 2017 and 2018 of Trenches 1-4 (see Excavations.ie 2015:143; 2017:206; 2018:324). The excavations have shown that the knapping of shale axe roughouts as well as other tools was carried out across a large area of what is now a storm beach. This material is similar to that recorded by M. Knowles at the end of the 19th century.
During early 2019 a section the clay layer was exposed by storms and high seas at the eastern end of the monitoring area. This new area was slightly to the north of the previous excavated areas which showed that the erosion of the clay is an ongoing process. As before, the occurrence of archaeological material within the clay led to the excavation of three trenches: TR5E, TR5CE and TR5C. Significant amounts of shale flakes, axe roughouts and hammerstones were recovered with some concentrated deposits of flakes. Whilst most of the shale flakes are from the preparation of axe roughouts, some flakes represented the production of alternative tools. A finished shale axe/chisel (TR5E) and a finished miniature shale axe (TR5C) were also recovered. These are among the very few finished axes from the site which the excavations to date have shown to be an area where mainly axe roughouts have been produced.
Additional radiocarbon dates obtained in 2019 confirm that most activity on the site occurred in the Later Mesolithic period but two charcoal dates, which require further corroboration, are from the Early Mesolithic. Future dates from the 2019 samples may confirm these early dates.

Acknowledgements:
Thanks are due to the landowner, Mr. Cyril Nagle, for his permission to access and excavate the site and to the Burrenbeo Trust Conservation Volunteers for their essential contribution.
Thanks are also due to the NMS and NMI for the extensions of the licence for the excavation, monitoring and collection of surface finds on the site.
References:
Knowles, M 1901, 'Kitchen Middens, Co. Clare'. Journal of the Limerick Field Club 2, 35-42.
Lynch, M. 2017. 'The Later Mesolithic on the North-West Coast of Clare'. Archaeology Ireland Vol. 31. No.4.

Leana, Killinaboy, Co. Clare.