Hurlers square off but ancient link exists between Clare and Limerick

As the hurlers of Clare and Limerick prepare to square up in the All-Ireland semi-final this weekend, evidence has emerged which suggests that an ancient common tribal link exists between the people of the two counties.

An excavation of Moneen Cave in Ballyvaughan, Co Clare, has provided experts with a fresh insight into life in the West of Ireland in prehistoric times. The significance of the cave was not identified until 2011, when an ancient body as well as a number of ceremonial artifacts were discovered by local cavers.

The cave has been the topic of ongoing research by Dr Marion Dowd of IT Sligo, who has just completed a report that includes extensive radiocarbon dating and ancient DNA analysis.

She has determined that the cave was a significant religious site during the Bronze Age, between 2000BC and 1000BC — after which point Moneen Cave inexplicably fell out of use.

The oldest artifact found on site was a red deer antler mace-head, which has opened the possibility of shared religious belief existing in Clare and Limerick some 4,000 years ago.

“We found evidence of ritual food offerings such as oysters and joints of meat. We also found about 350 shards of pottery dating to 1000BC,” said Dr Dowd.

“The antler mace-head dates to around 2000BC. It was probably a ceremonial object and is the most important artifact from the site.

“We initially thought it was the only antler mace-head in Ireland but just recently we have come across five other examples of this sort of artifact — two from north county Limerick, one from Lough Inchiquin [in Corofin, Co Clare] as well as one from Antrim and one from Meath.

“Most of the mace-heads or hammer-heads seem to come from natural places that were sacred in the past — caves, rivers, and lakes.

“We know, for example, that Lough Inchiquin was a significant site in Neolithic and Bronze Age times because significant numbers of stone axes were ritually deposited in it, as well as one of these antler mace-heads.

“Though only six of these objects are known in Ireland, there is a marked concentration in Clare and north Limerick.

“What we are seeing is that there may have been a significance regarding this type of artifact in the religious practices of people in this region; that within their belief system [the Bronze Age people of Clare and north Limerick], this sort of antler mace-head was a recognised ceremonial and religious object.”

The human remains discovered in the cave were identified as those of a teenage boy who lived in the late medieval period, dying in the 16th or 17th century.

The boy is believed to have crawled into the cave and died, rather than being murdered or ceremonially buried in the cave. It is unlikely the truth of his death will ever be known.