What is recorded here

Ice House is a sunken brick chamber in County Cork pasture, built probably around 1780 to store ice for Mitchelstown Castle. Its curved vaulted passage and grass-covered mound hide a circular room where cold air settled like water. People may have carried down blocks of winter ice and retrieved them months later, trusting the earth to keep the chill alive. The structure still stands as a quiet machine for patience, waiting for hands that remember its purpose.

In pasture, built into gentle N-facing slope, c. 800m W of Mitchelstown Castle (14317). Indicated on 1842 OS 6-inch map c. 200m W of lake. Circular brick-lined chamber (diam. c. 6-8m) covered by brick-domed roof (H c. 2m). Chamber sunken into ground (D c. 3.5m) with side walls tapering to base which is infilled with rubble. Curved brick vaulted passage (L c. 5m) at SW side, door ope at SW end. Circular chamber covered externally by grass-covered earthen mound (H c. 7m); buttress exposed on NW side, brickwork of dome exposed to WSW. Built probably around 1780 (B. Power, Avondhu 22/1/98). The above description is derived from the published 'Archaeological Inventory of County Cork. Volume 4: North Cork' (Dublin: Stationery Office, 2000). 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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