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Man-made underground passage in Glanballyma

Man-made underground passage

What is recorded here

Three beehive rooms and steps still hide beneath the Glanballyma ringfort, though soil has closed the entrance. People sought that darkness during the Troubles, suggesting the passage was never merely a forgotten hole but a temporary refuge. The chamber shape implies human patience, while the infilled opening reminds us that even useful places can be buried by fear or time.
In pasture, on a S-facing slope. On the 1st ed. (1841) OS 6-inch map a ‘cave’, suggesting the presence of a Man-made underground passage, is depicted within the interior of a ringfort (KE022-014----) at W. O’Connell (1938, 145) mentions an infilled Man-made underground passage here which was often used during the ‘Troubles’ and notes that ‘it is often stated that there are steps leading down to a passage, and that there are three rooms ‘like beehives’ opening one from the other, and that one could stand in them’. Compiled by: Matt Kelleher Date of upload: 28 February 2014

The monument record does not grant public access. Check the route and ask the landowner before entering private land.

What survives
Recorded monument

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