Souterrain

The National Monuments Service's description

In pasture, on top of a rise at a break in a S-facing slope. Outcropping rock is exposed on higher ground to the N and W. This earth-cut souterrain was discovered in 2002 during the construction of a track for training greyhounds. It consists of a small entrance chamber and three larger chambers, all joined by creepways. The entrance chamber was viewed from chamber 1. It is roughly oval and orientated E-W, with an opening in its roof at the E end. This opening is now blocked with stones making it inaccessible and it was not possible to take measurements. At the W end of the entrance chamber is a short creepway (Wth 0.56m; H 0.34m) into the NNE corner of Chamber 1. This chamber (3.1m NNE-SSW; 1.75m NNW-SSE) is roughly rectangular. A recessed construction shaft (Wth 1.1m; H c. 0.7m) is visible at the ESE side of the chamber. The chamber floor slopes gently up to the NNE, giving heights of 0.74m in the NNE half and 0.89m in the SSW half of the chamber. The roof is flat and the side-walls are straight but they incline towards the top where they meet the roof. Many large stones are visible in the chamber walls. A second creepway (Wth 0.45m; H 0.53m; L 0.15m) at the SSW end of chamber 1 leads into the E side of chamber 2. Chamber 2 (4.2m N-S; max. 2.2m E-W; H 1.1m) is roughly pear-shaped. Its floor is strewn with rocks, some of which have fallen from the roof. A large portion of rock is exposed in the SW wall of the chamber. The roof has collapsed inwards at the N end. The earth spilling in from this collapse may be hiding the evidence of a shared construction shaft with chamber 3 in the N end of the W wall. This spill of earth stops short of a creepway (Wth 0.6m; H 0.4m; L 0.7m) in the W wall of the chamber that leads in a NW direction into Chamber 3. This chamber (3.9m NNE-SSW; 1.63m NNW-SSE; H 1.2m) is roughly rectangular in shape. There is a recess for a construction shaft at the ESE side of NNE end. A large boulder (0.7m x 0.3m x 0.25m) lies on the floor of the chamber. Damage to the roof of this chamber is evident in the two oval-shaped openings, one (0.85m x 0.57m) in the NNE half and the second (0.5m x 0.33m) in the SSW half. A possible souterrain (CO070-129----) lies c. 100m to the SW.

The above description is derived from 'The Archaeological Inventory of County Cork. Volume 5' (Dublin: Stationery Office, 2009).

Date of upload: 22 December 2009