What is recorded here

Kinahan recorded an artificial cave inside Leafin Hill in 1887, but never revealed where the entrance hid. The Donegal Survey found no trace in 1980, and a commercial quarry has since dug away most of the hill. The passage may have been destroyed, or it may still breathe underneath the broken ground, waiting for someone brave enough to stop guessing and begin digging.

This record for a possible Man-made underground passage is based on a reference in Kinahan (1887, 425) which noted that ‘In the abrupt hill of Leafin there is a lusca’ or artificial cave. Kinahan did not record the exact location. An inspection by the Donegal Survey in 1980 found no visible evidence or local knowledge of a Man-made underground passage on the hill (Lacy, 1983, 235, no. 1479). The Man-made underground passage was listed in the RMP (1996) at IG co-ordinates 20721 41448 (ITM 607160 914469), however, these co-ordinates were for an arbitrary point on the summit of Leafin Hill, and did not record the precise location of the possible Man-made underground passage, which remains unknown. A commercial quarry has dug away the bulk of the hill, and it is likely that if a Man-made underground passage existed, it has been destroyed. Compiled by: Jane O'Shaughnessy Date of revised upload: 8 November 2017

This remains an important historical record, but the official description says the monument is no longer visible or has been destroyed. The monument record does not grant public access. Check the route and ask the landowner before entering private land.