Man-made underground passage in An Fhothrach Mhór

On the N slopes of a low hill (833 feet/254m) overlooking the Lispole valley, this Man-made underground passage was discovered about 5 years ago during removal of an overlying mound of stones. The accessible portion consists of a sub-rectangular chamber, aligned ENE-WSW, with a rectangular well entrance located at its E end. Two loose stones cover the well entrance which measures .65m N-S, .62m E-W and 1.3m deep. In its W side, at floor level, is the opening, .95m high and .5m wide, to the chamber. Roofed by 4 flat slabs resting on the slightly inclined dry-stone walls, the chamber measures 1.6m long, .9m wide and 1.3m high. 0.2m below the roof, a large slab, .2m high, extends the full width of the W end wall. At the base is a low opening, only .05m high and .4m wide, which extends W for at least 2m. This would appear to lead to a further chamber or passage, but the accumulation of fill in the accessible chamber and .35m of water prevent further examination. The above description is derived from J. Cuppage, ‘Corca Dhuibhne. Dingle Peninsula archaeological survey. Ballyferriter. Oidhreacht Chorca Dhuibhne’ (1986), no. 763. In certain instances the entries have been revised and updated in the light of recent research. Date of upload: 7 August 2013