What is recorded here

Ice House is a brick-lined chamber buried beneath a conical earthen mound in the wood beside Castlemartyr House, named on the 1842 map and still overgrown enough to hide its northern entrance. Its shallow ledge may have supported a floor for blocks of ice, while the tapering depth kept them cold through summer. People may have carried drink, meat or hospital supplies into that dark round room, then forgotten the labour behind the joy.

In wood, in demesne of Castlemartyr House (CO077-005001-). Named on 1842 OS 6-inch map. Conical earthen mound (H 3.5m; diam. c. 15m); heavily overgrown. Entrance (N-facing) approached by splayed retaining walls; brick-arched passage (L 3m) with door ope at each end. Interior consists of domed, circular, brick-lined chamber (diam. c. 4m; H 2.3m above ground level), tapering downwards to a depth of c. 4m below ground level. Shallow ledge (Wth 0.18m) all around chamber c. 0.3m above ground level may have supported floor. The above description is derived from the published 'Archaeological Inventory of County Cork. Volume 2: East and South Cork' (Dublin: Stationery Office, 1994). In certain instances the entries have been revised and updated in the light of recent research. Date of upload/revision: 14 January 2009

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