Turlough Hill, Co. Clare: A prehistoric meeting place

Project Description

The exposed summit of Turlough Hill in northeast Burren is the location of a truly enigmatic group of prehistoric remains without direct parallells in the Burren, or anywhere else in Ireland. These remains consist of the spectacular summit cairn adjacent to a large number of hut sites and, at some distance to the east, a large stone built enclosure.

The dramatic and strategic location at the eastern extremity of the Burren, together with the complexity of the remains, indicate that this summit and the activities upon it possibly had a significance for the entire upland of the Burren. The location at the actual edge of the Burren facing the lowlands towards north and east raises important questions relating to identity and landscape. The very large number of hut sites on the summit in close proximity to the large cairn raises further issues relating to settlement, and how to understand the interaction between ritual and secular. In a wider perspective the understanding of Turlough Hill is central to our understanding of the meaning, role and use of exposed high ground in prehistoric Ireland.

The overall aim with the project is to understand the role that Turlough Hill had in the social and ritual landscape of the Burren and beyond. The main aim of the current, initial phase of the project is, however, to create a more detailed understanding of the character of the remains, and thereby create a platform for further research. This stage of the project has mainly focused on the hut sites, since they constitute the least know part of the archaeology on the hill.

The creation of a basic record of the hut sites has been achieved by GIS analysis of photogrammetrical data captured from aerial photography. The aerial photography has been undertaken by BKS Ltd, Coleraine, while the GIS analysis has been undertaken by Dr. Ronan Hennessy, within the Burren Landscape Project. The work has been funded by INSTAR 2008. The survey work has revealed that there are some 156 hut sites within the flat area constituting the actual summit of Turlough Hill. Of significant importance is the discovery of a low profile multi-vallate enclosure on the eastern part of the summit, which implies that the cairn is not the only strictly ’ritual site’ on the summit. The next stage of the project involves further and more detailed analysis of the hut sites and the multi-vallate enclosure, before the survey is extended to the large stone built enclosure on the eastern part of Turlough Hill.

Contact Details

Dr Stefan Bergh ( Profile)

Department of Archaeology,

School of Geography and Archaeology, NUI, Galway

Contact: stefan.berghnuigalway.ie

Funding Bodies

INSTAR 2008

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