Cave in Aillwee

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

This cave formed in Carboniferous limestone through dissolution by acidic water, typical of karst landscapes in the region. It has been noted in local folklore and early surveys but lacks confirmed archaeological finds or extensive human use records.