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Axe
Axe, stone, polished, mudstone, 19cm max L; 9cm max W; wide gently curved cutting edge; butt end narrow, butt broken and chipped, both faces damaged
Axe, stone, mudstone, polished, wide gently curved cutting edge, narrows towards butt end, butt broken large chip missing on one face from butt. Both faces badly damaged, large chip on side close from centre extending towards butt on one face with numerous smaller chips around edges particularly along top half. The other face contains chip extending from edge centre across most of the face, with again smaller more numerous chips around edges of top half, large chip above butt area. Oval cross section.
Found in townland of Caher, Co. Clare. No other details recorded. Three townlands in different baronies – Bunratty Upper, Inchiquin and Tulla Upper. Most likely provenance is barony of Tulla Upper, which is closer to Limerick than others, history/tradition of finds from eastern side of county being deposited with Limerick City Museum. It was transferred to Clare Museum in 2008.
This axe is recorded in the Catalogue of Archaeological Finds from County Clare From the Archives of The National Museum of Ireland, Vol. 1, compiled by Erin Gibbons, Jackie Mac Dermott, and Felim Gibbons, Oct 99. The record provides the following information: “Townland – Caher. Find: Axes, Stone x 3; Habitat – Limerick Museum; IA File – 1A/19/94; Ref – The Irish Stone Axe Project; Slide – A 18689; Pg. III.510”. This axe is one of two transferred from Limerick with recorded provenance from Caher townland.
Collection: National Monuments (Amendment) Act, 1994
Category: Tool/Implement