Man-made underground passage in Carrickleagh

The following description is derived from both the published 'Archaeological Inventory of County Louth' (Dublin: Stationery Office, 1986) and the 'Archaeological Survey of County Louth' (Dublin: Stationery Office, 1991). In certain instances the entries have been revised and updated in the light of recent research. Date of upload/revision: 17 July 2007 Isolated Man-made underground passage, situated in out-crop hillock immediately above an area of marshy ground. The site is first recorded in 1903 (CLAJ 1904, 36-9) but was reclosed until land reclamation removed several lintels in 1982. The Man-made underground passage consists of an upper passage (L 2.5m, Wth 0.9-1.2m) extending NW-SE, much disturbed by the removal of lintels and the collapse of surrounding soil. At the SE end of the passage a shelf at floor level is created by the first lintel of a gallery. The drop-hole to the gallery is obscured by collapse. The gallery extends NW-SE-S in a gentle curve (L 8.8m, H 1.4m), widening gradually from the NW (Wth 0.8m) to form a bulbous terminal at the S (Wth 2.2m). The Man-made underground passage is drystone-built throughout, with large boulders forming the basal course.