What is recorded here

Beneath Caher Murphy on Mount Eagle, a narrow stone throat cuts west through solid earth before opening into a hidden chamber. Upright slabs and heavy roof stones still hold the passage steady, while two small vents pierce the south wall to keep the darkness breathable. The chamber sits beneath the cashel wall like a forgotten room, waiting for someone to lift a stone and remember that the hill itself was once built to hide people, grain or fear.

Caher Murphy/Cathair Mhurfaí: This oval cashel (National Monument no. 156/1-5) is situated on the S slopes of Mount Eagle overlooking Dingle Bay. Much of its interior is occupied by a group of 5 roughly circular, conjoined clochauns, and a 6th irregularly-shaped structure. A Man-made underground passage passage extends from one of these huts to a chamber beneath the cashel wall. The site has been considerably restored by the OPW, and, during restoration work in the 19th century, an elaborate cross-slab was discovered; this is now housed in the NMI. A fragment of the upper stone of a rotary quern was also found lying loose within the cashel. Souterrain: The well entrance to the L-shaped Man-made underground passage lies at the NW side of the interior of clochaun (KE052-188001-). From here the passage extends 4.65m in a WSW direction, and a wedge-shaped chamber opens off the W end of its S wall. The passage is up to .95m wide and 1.2m high and is roofed by a series of large, flat slabs; the walls are constructed of upright slabs overlain by drystone walling. The entrance to the chamber is marked by 2 upright slabs and is roofed by a single lintel. It is .4m wide x .7m high, and a .15m high sill stone spans the opening. The chamber measures 3.6m N-S x 1.45m E-W x 1.5m in maximum height. The E and S walls are of similar construction to the passage walls, but the W wall is entirely of drystone construction. Two projecting courses of large corbels, at the top of the S wall, support the single slab which roofs the chamber. The openings to 2 air-vents also occur in this S wall, about 1.2m above ground level. The above description is derived from J. Cuppage, ‘Corca Dhuibhne. Dingle Peninsula archaeological survey. Ballyferriter. Oidhreacht Chorca Dhuibhne’ (1986), no. 568. In certain instances the entries have been revised and updated in the light of recent research. Date of upload: 7 August 2013

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