Caherconnell Fort & Sheepdog Demonstrations

Set right at the heart of the Burren’s raw beauty in County Clare, Caherconnell is a treasured local sheep farm with a rich history that comprises several significant archaeological sites. The first is a doline dating back to Ireland’s Bronze Age period (2,500 to 600 BC) where exciting finds have included pottery fragments and more than 2,000 stones, from blades and arrowheads to grinding quern stones. The second is a 10th-century AD stone medieval ringfort that has attracted substantial global attention due to its vast size and for the large number of quality artefacts that share insights into the ruling classes that evolved here until the 17th-century AD.

Interestingly, there is clear evidence through sheep and dog bones found that Ireland’s earliest farmers settled at the Bronze Age and Medieval sites, creating a direct connection with the Davoren family’s sheep farm at Caherconnell today.

For several generations, the well-known and well-respected Davoren family have lived quietly in this area until curiosity about the archaeological sites and farm reached such fervour that people would come and peer through the windows of the family home. In response, Granny Mary Ann Davoren (mother of current owner, John Davoren) decided to open the gates and invite the public in. Highlights include:

• Davoren Family | 5th generation farmers | custodians of the local farming tradition and heritage.
• Sheepdog Demonstrations | meet a Davoren shepherd | watch border collies herd sheep and cattle.
• Caherconnell Fort | medieval stone ringfort | archaeological excavations | fascinating artefacts.
• Archaeology Field School | LIVE archaeological dig of the medieval ringfort | May to August.
• Bronze Age Doline | insights into Ireland’s earliest ancestors | fascinating artefacts.
• Burren Life & Farming | from the Bronze Age | to the Middles Ages | to the Davoren family.
• Create happy memories in a safe environment | Covid-19 chartered company.