Cliffs of Moher visitor’s centre, County Clare

Clare County Council wished to demolish the existing visitor’s centre in 2005 and develop a new visitor’s centre, retail unit, public conveniences, six casual trader bays, waste treatment plant, revised car and coach parking arrangement and entrances including ancillary landscaping works at the site of the existing visitor’s centre and car park at the Cliffs of Moher, Co. Clare.

An Environmental Impact Statement was commissioned and the archaeological component highlighted the ‘high archaeological potential’ and recommended archaeological monitoring of groundworks.

Accordingly, a desk-based assessment of the development area was undertaken by Graham Hull. This assessment noted that, on the basis of documentary and cartographic research coupled with a visual site-inspection, an undated earth mound (Recorded Monument CL014-002) is present at the north of the development and that this mound was surmounted in the 1830s by an observation tower (O’Brien’s Tower). The archaeological potential across other parts of the site was variable and dependant on the degree of damage caused by existing facilities and pedestrian erosion. The assessment report recommended that targeted archaeological monitoring take place during groundworks.

Following correspondence between Clare County Council and the National Monuments Section of the Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government, it was agreed that licensed archaeological monitoring of the area in the immediate vicinity of the mound and tower would be appropriate. No archaeological deposits were found during monitoring.

A report describing the results archaeological monitoring can be downloaded here.