The Caherconnell Project
Excavating the Irish Human Story
The Burren, Ireland

Participants arrive in Dublin or Shannon Airports and are picked up and transferred to the Old Ground Hotel in Ennis. 

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Located in the center of the attractive medieval town of Ennis, County Clare, the hotel provides an ideal starting point from which to explore the famous attractions of Ireland's west coast. A former manor house dating back to the 18th century, this ivy-clad residence has been totally refurbished to provide the warmth of a country home with the style of a luxury hotel.

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There will be a group welcome dinner tonight for the group to get to know each other before a fun and interesting week together.

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Accommodation: Old Ground Hotel in Ennis - Double Occupancy​

Meals: Dinner

The next morning begins your five-day excavation of the Caherconnell Ring Fort. The dig includes all accommodations, transportation to and from the digsite, most meals and specialy curated activities. 

 

Caherconnell is a highly productive site, with a large quantity of ongoing finds made regularly. The 2024 excavation includes excavation work on the third fort to be excavated at the Caherconnell complex. You will be hands-on for the entire five days of this excavation, learning the methods of archaeological excavation and archaeological recording. This will allow all participants to immerse themselves in the excavation, collection and study of everything from artifacts to large landscape features dating from 2200 BC to about 800 AD. And make no mistake-this location is absolutely loaded with both!

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Due to the high quality of preservation at Caherconnell (of everything from artefacts to large landscape features), researchers believe that the work being undertaken here in western Ireland can enlighten our understanding of the entire Irish story, far beyond the borders of the Burren.

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During your 5-day excavation, your days will consist of:

• Each day, the group will be picked up at 8am and driven to the dig site where you will meet the archaeologists and begin fieldwork at  Caherconnell. The group will return to the hotel by 5.45pm.

• Archaeological fieldwork begins at 9am and ends at 5pm each day.

• All tools for archaeological excavation are provided, along with dedicated on-site training, instruction, and supervision.

• Mid-morning break of tea, coffee and pastries in addition to lunch and beverages are included each day at the onsite café.

• This location is within walking distance of a visitor centre, which includes bathrooms and a café.

• You will also have use of field-school facilities at the centre, which includes a locker for every participant and indoor workspace in the event of heavy rain.

• The cost of the dig includes funds to support the archaeological fieldwork and research at Caherconnell, including a contribution to artifact conservation, radiocarbon dating. 

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Additional activities included during the course of the dig:

• Private sheepdog demonstration.

• Private access to a guided tour of the Caherconnell site and farm walk with a view of Galway Bay. 

• July 16-Visit to Poulnabrone after day of excavation The group will enjoy a tour of Poulnabrone Dolmen. Situated on the high Burren limestone plateau, Poulnabrone Dolmen is one of Ireland’s most iconic archaeological monuments and is the oldest dated megalithic monument in Ireland. Enjoy a fascinating history lesson and some light refreshments here before transferring back to your hotel.

• July 18-Evening walking tour of The Burren. One of Ireland's most compelling landscapes, the cool grey rock etched with crevices and cracks tumbles down to the wild blue Atlantic Ocean. Enjoy this fascinating walking tour of this enthralling landscape with informative and entertaining commentaries on the geology, flora, archaeology, wildlife and farming of the region, along with some light refreshments before transferring back to your hotel..

• July19-The group will enjoy a farewell dinner in Ennis at a restaurant/pub with live Irish music.

 

Accommodation: Old Ground Hotel in Ennis​

Meals included during the course of the dig: Breakfast, lunch, mid-morning break and drinks included each day. On the first and last days, you will enjoy welcome and farewell dinners. All other days, dinner is on your own. 

You will be working under the supervision of the archaeologists, but the tasks associated with working on an excavation can involve certain risks. Excavation work may involve difficult conditions, uneven terrain (a definite in the Burren!) unanticipated natural hazards, use of digging equipment, and/or strenuous manual labor. (This, too, is a definite in the rocky landscape of this region). A general level of fitness is necessary for excavations, such as walking over uneven ground every day, walking up and down steps and inclines, kneeling, filling and carrying buckets of soil and stones. Most if not all activities will occur outdoors and are subject to the weather. 

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The Irish weather is notoriously changeable - rain, wind, sun all in one day; and sometimes even all at once! Generally, though, none of these are too extreme in summer and are easily managed with appropriate clothing.The karst landscape of the Burren provides an uneven surface underfoot so a certain level of care and mobility is required.

 

• Hiking or work boots

• Waterproof jacket

• Waterproof over-trousers

• Work/gardening gloves (more than one pair)

• A change of shoes. We change out of work boots when we go inside

• Sun hat

• Sunscreen

• Travel insurance needed

1. What makes Caherconnell significant?​

   It is a multiperiod complex with excellent preservation (and individually intriguing sites within the complex!). It therefore has allowed us to fil in some blanks in the story of the Irish past. It is also an excellent example of academia working with landowners/local community.

2. What has been most surprising about your discoveries at Caherconnell?

   The complex has an incredibly long time span and it appears to have been continuously used, even throughout centuries of medieval unrest. It’s also become clear to us that the complex is much older than previously thought. There is also an impressive richness to the artefact assemblage, dating from the prehistoric to the medieval.

3. What are your current research objectives at Caherconnell?

   Our work aims to determine function, date, and relationships of all the sites within the Caherconnell complex. And to trace continuity and change over the millennia of its habitation.

4. What was the most important or rewarding find at Caherconnell?​
   It’s almost impossible to pick one find from the thousands of artefacts we’ve unearthed over the years. I would say that the discovery of the oldest ink pen in Ireland is hugely significant in that it implies so much about the site and its inhabitants.

 

Learn more about what the Caherconnell Project dig entails!

Watch this video featuring Michelle Comber to have all your questions about Caherconnell and the dig experience answered!

 

And, for your listening pleasure, enjoy this fascinating podcast about Caherconnell from Clare-FM.   

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More about Ireland's oldest ink pen found at Caherconnell:

Smithsonian Magazine    Independent of Ireland     Archaeology Magazine