Field system, Murrooghkilly, Co. Clare

Co. Clare |

Ritual/Ceremonial

Field system, Murrooghkilly, Co. Clare

On a west-facing terrace in County Clare, among rough grazing land and bare rock outcrop, a patchwork of ancient boundaries stretches roughly 300 metres from east to west and 270 metres from north to south.

What makes this field system at Murrooghkilly quietly compelling is its layered quality: the walls and enclosures here are not the product of a single era but of multiple periods of occupation and land management, prehistoric and medieval elements folded one over another across the same limestone ground.

The site sits within the broader landscape of the Caher River valley, itself home to an even larger field system of which this forms one visible part. Field systems of this kind, networks of stone-walled boundaries used to divide land for cultivation or livestock, are not uncommon in the west of Ireland, but multiperiod examples, where successive communities have reworked and added to earlier arrangements rather than clearing them away, offer a relatively rare window into continuous human use of the same ground across very long stretches of time. The prehistoric elements may represent some of the earliest organised farming in the region, while the medieval phases reflect how later communities inherited and adapted what earlier hands had built. The site was reported to the National Monuments Service by Ros Ó Maoldúin, and its extent and character became more legible through satellite imagery rather than ground survey alone, a reminder of how much can remain unexamined at eye level in heavily rocky terrain.

Rated 0 out of 5

Visitor Notes

Review type for post source and places source type not found
Added by
Picture of Pete F
Pete F
IrishHistory.com is passionate about helping people discover and connect with the rich stories of their local communities.
Please use the form below to submit any photos you may have of Field system, Murrooghkilly, Co. Clare. We're happy to take any suggested edits you may have too. Please be advised it will take us some time to get to these submissions. Thank you.
Name
Email
Message
Upload images/documents
Maximum file size: 100 MB
If you'd like to add an image or a PDF please do it here.

Advertisement