Clare Museum led an archaeological dig of a 19th-century house site at Derryboy, Ballinruan. The aim of this project was to learn more about domestic life in rural Clare.
The excavation was supervised by Graham Hull of archaeological consultants TVAS Ireland. Volunteers took part too, learning skills from experienced professionals, while also discovering their own local history.
The dig took place between 2019 and 2022 (with a pause during the Covid-19 pandemic).
This excavation was part of Clare’s participation in Creative Ireland, a culture-based programme designed to promote individual, community and national wellbeing. The core proposition is that participation in cultural activity drives personal and collective creativity, with significant implications for individual and societal wellbeing and achievement.
Clare County Council works with Creative Ireland under Pillar 2 of the programme: ‘Enabling Creativity in Every Community’.
Some of what was found in the dig:
- Identification of a house, abandoned in the 19th century, possibly during the Great Famine
- A child’s shoe, which had probably been concealed in the house. This practice has only been found in a small number of locations in Ireland.
- Domestic pottery, parts of an iron cooking pot, and other small items
You can find more information on the excavation in the attached documents:
- Preliminary Archaeological Excavation Report, November 2019. This includes photos of the excavation and its finds.
- Report on Leather Shoe from Derryboy, Derrycallif
- Small Find Report from Derryboy, Derrycallif
