Burren Archaeology Iron Age

There was a pronounced decline in agricultural activity over the Iron Age period, which, while falling well short of actual abandonment, did result in a significant recovery of secondary woodland, particularly hazel scrub, according to pollen sources. The cause of the ‘Iron Age lull’ in agricultural activity, by no means confined to the Burren, has been attributed to diverse factors such as a downturn in climate, cultural upheaval, and the exhaustion, and in some cases outright loss, of the soil resource.

From a cultural perspective, this was also a time of some upheaval, as the Iron Age is often associated with the arrival of the ‘Celts’, described by Robinson (1986) as a ‘cattle-raising society with a warrior ascendancy’.

The ‘monumental heritage’ of the Iron Age in the Burren would not appear to amount to much. Evidence prehistoric activity (late Bronze or Iron Age) activity was found at Cahercommaun, including stone axes, flint scrapers and saddle querns. Experts also attribute an Iron Age origin to Caherballykingvarga near Kilfenora, due mainly to its ‘chevaux de frise’, a defensive structure associated with this period.

Another site associated with the Iron Age in the Burren is the massive enclosure on top of Turlough hill, thought to be an early Iron Age hill fort, though Rynne claims to be uncertain of this.

One monument type often associated with the Iron Age is the ‘ring barrow’, though a small number of these structures may date from as early as the Neolithic, while many others are of Bronze Age origin. Ring barrows are usually 12-30m in diameter, defined by a ditch with an internal mound (within or underneath which burials are often contained), and/or an external bank.

Some 27 of Clare’s 45 barrows are found in the Burren (Grogan and Condit, 2000). Barrows are not exclusively earthen structures: Coffey (1996) describes three ‘stone barrows’ in the Carran area of the central Burren.

Some of the few Iron Age artefacts found in the Burren, include pendants, bridle bits and spearheads (Rynne, 1982, Waddell, 1991).