Man-made underground passage in Lemgare

Discovered in the course of destruction during 1974. It consisted of a passage and undifferentiated chamber (min. L 7.5m E-W; max. Wth 1.5m; max. H 1.55m) that had the natural rock as the floor and drystone walls corbelling in to a lintelled roof. There was an air shaft (Wth 0.6m; H 0.2m; L 0.4m plus) in the back wall of the chamber immediately below the lintels. There is a local tradition of a second Man-made underground passage nearby, but in 2000 this proved to be an old mine trial, probably from c. 1843 when mining occurred in the area. The Man-made underground passage is now occupied by a quarry. (SMR file) The above description is derived from the published 'Archaeological Inventory of County Monaghan' (Dublin: Stationery Office, 1986). In certain instances the entries have been revised and updated in the light of recent research. Compiled by: Michael Moore Date of revision: 26 February 2018