2025:472 - Ballaghaline, Clare
County: Clare
Site name: Ballaghaline
Sites and Monuments Record No.: CL008A-010
Licence number: 15E0145
Author: Michael Lynch
Author/Organisation Address: Leana, Killinaboy, Co. Clare.
Site type: Prehistoric industrial site
Period/Dating: Mesolithic (8000 BC-4001 BC)
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 2025. This recording of areas of erosion where concentrations of shale flakes, axe roughouts and hammerstones were identified led to the excavation from 2015 to 2024 of Trenches 1 to 7 (see Excavations.ie 2015:143; 2017:206; 2018:324; 2019:317; 2020:258; 2021:339; 2022:452; 2023:451; 2024:453). 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. Whilst most of the shale flakes are from the preparation of axe roughouts, some flakes represented the production of alternative tools, such as blades. Radiocarbon dates from across the site confirm that this activity took place during the Mesolithic period.
The licenced monitoring and collection of surface finds from the survey area continued throughout 2025. This confirmed that the erosion of the clay layer beneath the storm beach is continuous and that archaeological material is still being uncovered and eroded from the clay by the sea. Although a substantial number of surface finds were recovered during 2025, no area of clay, suitable for excavation, was exposed by the sea. Therefore, no excavation took place in 2025.
The monitoring and the collection of surface finds will continue during 2026 with appropriate excavation when suitable conditions arise.
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.