Man-made underground passage in Balrenny

Situated on a steep S-facing slope down to the WNW-ESE Devlin River, and at the W edge of the valley of a small N-S stream, which is c. 30m distant. A large beehive chamber (diam. 3.4-3.6m; H 2.1m) and a section of a partially rock-cut passage (L 3.6m plus; Wth 0.8-1.1m; H 1.1-1.3m) extending off to the NW was discovered and badly damaged in 1977. The chamber had collapsed but it and the passage had a basal layer of dark grey clay beneath silt. The floor was excavated (E000176) and a fine ring-pin and some pieces of wood were recovered, one of which produced a radiocarbon determination of 1135 +70BP. The Man-made underground passage chamber had been dug into a pit (diam. 5.2m; D 2.8m) in the shale bedrock. (Eogan and Bradley 1977) The above description is derived from the published 'Archaeological Inventory of County Meath' (Dublin: Stationery Office, 1987). In certain instances the entries have been revised and updated in the light of recent research. Compiled by: Michael Moore Date of upload: 10 July 2007 Amended: 27 January 2021