Sites and Monuments Record · Ireland
Cave
Aillwee, County Clare, Ireland
The record
- Townland
- Aillwee
- County
- Clare
- Country
- Ireland
- Coordinates
- 53.08605, -9.09538
- SMR number
- CL006-147----
Slide toward Today to fade the historical sheet and see the modern map underneath.
David Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford LibrariesDavid Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford LibrariesDavid Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford LibrariesDavid Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford Libraries
Shown on 4 historical map sheets, the earliest the 1753 "Mappa geographica Regni Hiberniae" (David Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford Libraries).
This record in the National Monuments Service's Historic Environment Viewer ↗
The National Monuments Service's description
Known as ‘Maze Hole’ or ‘Ailwee Upper Cave’ this cave has seven entrances located in the highest and largest of the closed depressions on Ailwee Mountain (Drew 1981, 172; Mullan 2003, 179), E of Ailwee show-cave. The passages (L 140m; typical H 1.5m; typical Wth 1.5m) are partially filled with clay and boulders and the walls are covered in soft white flowstone (Mullan 2003, 179). Seashells are visible embedded in the cave sediment (David Drew pers. comm.). The shells are likely to have been brought through human agency, but the date of this activity is unknown (Marion Dowd pers. comm.).
Compiled by: Mary Tunney and Ros Ó Maoldúin
Date of upload: 29 September 2021
References
Drew, D. 1981 The High Burren. In C. A. Self (Comp.) Caves of County Clare. Bristol: University of Bristol Speleological Society, pp 163–190.
Mullan G. J. (comp.) 2003 Caves of County Clare and South Galway. Bristol: University of Bristol Speleological Society.
Nearby in the register
- Hut siteunder 1 mi
- Field systemunder 1 mi
- Ringfort - cashelunder 1 mi
- Enclosureunder 1 mi
Other entries of the same register within about three miles of this one, by straight line.