Souterrain

The National Monuments Service's description

Unlocated, but understood from records by Cooke (1851) and Westropp (1911; 1915) to lie on the plain of Finvarra about a mile [1.6km] west of New Quay. A souterrain comprising three chambers connected by a passage, with outer chamber ( L 6.4m; Wth 1.52m; H 1.52m / L 21’; Wth 5’; H 5’) connected to the middle (L 7.62m; Wth 2.13m; H 1.83m / L 25’; Wth 7’; H 6’) by a passage (L 1.52m; Wth 0.61m H 0.91m / L 5’; Wth 2’; H 3’), which led from a trapdoor in the first to an elevated platform at the end of the middle one. The passage (L 1.52m; Wth 0.61m ; H 0.91m / L 5’; Wth 2’; H 3’) from the middle to end chamber sloped down and the inner chamber is reputed to have contained a small slab cist in which bones were found, but no full account this was available to Cooke or Westropp (1911, 351–2). Dr G. U. MacNamara did send Westropp a photo of “the Caves” at Finnavarra, which Westropp (1915, 251–2) believed to be this structure. From the photo he described it as ‘an overgrown carn… consist[ing] of three short straight passages, opening in the face of a wall… roofed by an angular-headed arrangement of slabs “pitched” against each other, two and two’. Westropp (1915, 252) also recounted another description with elaborate details of the skeleton remains and old Irish carvings, however, as he suggested these seem fanciful.

Compiled by: Mary Tunney and Ros Ó Maoldúin

Date of upload: 15 December 2020

References

Cooke, T.L. 1851 On some subterraneous chambers in the County of Clare. Journal of the Royal Society of Ireland 1, 294-8.

Westropp, T.J. 1911 Prehistoric remains (forts and dolmens) in the Burren, Co. Clare (continued). Journal of the Royal Society of Antiquaries of Ireland 1, 343-67.

Westropp, T.J. 1915 Prehistoric remains (forts and dolmens) in Burren and its south western border, Co. Clare. Part 12: North Western Part. Journal of the Royal Society of Antiquaries of Ireland 5, 45-62, 249-74.