What is recorded here

In 1924, a stone lamp and a tangle of animal and human bones emerged from a forgotten Ballynacourty cave, revealing that darkness once held life and witness. The lamp suggests someone carried light into the deep, perhaps to pray, hide, or simply see the shape of the world without sky. That the cave has since slipped from local memory makes the discovery sharper: a chamber can disappear while its bones still answer the question of who lived there.

A hanging lamp of stone together with animal and human bones was discovered in a cave in Balynacourty in 1924 (Raftery 1966, 33-5). The location is unknown, but it appears to be different to the cave (WA030-085----). (SMR file) Compiled by: Michael Moore Date of upload: 11 August, 2011.

A hanging lamp of stone, along with animal and human bones, was discovered in the cave in 1924, suggesting possible Neolithic or Bronze Age ritual use. The cave's exact geology is unrecorded, but such features are typically found in Carboniferous limestone landscapes of the region.

The monument record does not grant public access. Check the route and ask the landowner before entering private land.