Man-made underground passage in Cush

Man-made underground passage in NE quadrant of ringfort (LI048-034027-) excavated by Ó Ríordáin (1940, 97-100) between 1934-5, the results of which were described as follows; ‘The Man-made underground passage in this ring-fort was a very interesting one. In all it may be regarded as consisting of three portions, (1) a roofed portion about 18 feet [5.4m] in length, (2) an unroofed portion at right angles to the roofed part again about 18 feet [5.4m] in length and (3) an approach about 16 feet [4.87m] long at right angles to the unroofed part and indicated by post-holes only. The unroofed portion (2) of the Man-made underground passage had the walls but none of the roofing-slabs in position, nor did we find in it such slabs as would suggest that it had at any time been covered by a stone built roof. Another feature of note was that the silting which filled the Man-made underground passage showed markedly a distinction between that portion that came from the unroofed part of the Man-made underground passage and that which filled the portion which was roofed. The former containing a large amount of decayed organic matter was very dark in colour; that recovered from the roofed portion of the Man-made underground passage (the silting filled the structure almost entirely up to the roof) was very free from organic material and was such as would have washed in through the interstices of the roof in the course of time, but most of that in the outer unroofed part of the Man-made underground passage must have accumulated during the habitation of the fort. The average breadth of the Man-made underground passage was 3 feet [0.91m]. The height of the stone roof of the Man-made underground passage about the floor of the structure was in general about 2½ feet [0.76m] but two of the largest slabs towards the western end dipped at their junction so as to leave only about 1 foot [0.3m] between them and the floor. The final about 2½ feet [0.76m] of the floor at the western end rose to form a step about 6 inches [0.15m] high. Running north-west from the western end of the Man-made underground passage for a distance of 19 feet [5.79m] were a number of stones which had evidently been part of a drain-like structure that connect with the Man-made underground passage under the roof and ended at the rampart of the fort. It must therefore have served the purposed of providing ventilation for the Man-made underground passage, this being done in such a manner that the source of the ventilation would escape the unwelcome attention of attackers of the dwellers of the fort who might have taken refuge in the Man-made underground passage. Similar remains of a ventilation shaft have been mention in connection with the Man-made underground passage in Ring-Fort 2 [LI048-034026-] but that in Ring-Fort 3 [LI048-034027-] was actually the one first excavated; other better examples were found later and will be described in connection with Forts 4 [LI048-034028-], 5 [LI048-034016-], 8 [LI048-034037-] and 9 [LI048-034036-]. What we have called the approach to the Man-made underground passage was found when we cleared the end of the stone-built part of the structure and, by removing from it the accumulation of silting, revealed an area about 16 feet [4.87m] by 10 feet [3.04m] which was three feet lower than the level of the surface of the fort. The floor of this area was the solid underlying red sandstone and into this had been cut five post-holes, the average depth of which was 10 inches [0.25m]. These were so arranged that three were in a straight line, the other two being along a line parallel to these and the two rows of post-holes were so placed as to form the two side of an approach to the Man-made underground passage. We, therefore, have to do here with post-holes that supported a timber structure which completed the plan of the building.’ See attached plans taken from Ó Ríordáin and Google Earth orthoimages. Compiled by: Fiona Rooney Date of upload: 2 September 2021