Souterrain

The National Monuments Service's description

National Monument No. 10045. Very substantial bivallate rath KE042-135---- commanding the S side of Mám na Gaoithe, a pass through the low ridge (666 feet/205m) separating the crescents of low-lying land that surround Ventry and Smerwick Harbours.

Souterrain (KE042-135004-): This opens off the base of the inner edge of the fosse, a little E of S, and is not now accessible. The almost circular, earth-cut mouth of the tunnel is 1.4m high x 1.5m wide, but narrows rapidly and slopes gently downwards as it extends under the inner bank. Hitchcock entered the souterrain in 1854 and noted that it extended far underground and branched off in several directions. All the passages were tunnelled out of the earth and no stonework was present.

The above description is derived from J. Cuppage, ‘Corca Dhuibhne. Dingle Peninsula archaeological survey. Ballyferriter. Oidhreacht Chorca Dhuibhne’ (1986), no. 518. In certain instances the entries have been revised and updated in the light of recent research.

Date of upload: 7 August 2013

References

Cuppage, J. 1986 Corca Dhuibhne. Dingle Peninsula archaeological survey. Ballyferriter. Oidhreacht Chorca Dhuibhne.