Souterrain

The National Monuments Service's description

In pasture, located on the brow of a low rise on an E-W ridge, which borders the N side of Drumcliff Bay. Ground falls away gradually for 150m to the stony shoreline.
A souterrain in Finned townland was known about in the early 19th century when it was noted in the OS Name Books (OSNB Co. Sligo, vol. 1, 293), however, its exact location was not recorded, and it was, therefore, not listed in the RMP (1995). It was rediscovered in the early 21st century (pers. comm. Leo Leyden, 2019).
A subcircular opening (max. dim. c. 1m) is visible at surface ground level. It opens into a stone-lined subterranean cavity (D c. 1m), part of a drystone-built chamber or passage. The surface opening is not an original entrance, but most likely resulted from the collapse of a roof lintel. The chamber/passage is now partly infilled with loose soil, and its original form is difficult to determine; drystone walling is evident at S-SW, possibly a side or end wall, and the chamber/passage appears to continue to NNW or N.

Attached images:
SL008-157----_01 Surface collapse/current opening to souterrain
SL008-157----_02 Drystone chamber/passage, viewed from SE

Compiled by: Jane O'Shaughnessy

Date of upload: 19 February 2019

References

OSNB - Ordnance Survey Name Books. Pro-forma books arranged by Civil Parish for recording townland and other name-forms and compiled in the course of the OS 6-inch survey 1824-1841. The name books also include minor names and incidental references to antiquities. National Archives of Ireland.

OSNB Co. Sligo -Ordnance Survey Name Books Co. Sligo. 2 volumes. National Library Transcript