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Man-made underground passage in Madame

Man-made underground passage

What is recorded here

Collapse brought the hidden chamber into light in 1984, revealing a narrow rock-cut space barely large enough for one person to crouch inside. The eastern wall still carried dry-stone work, while the northern end remained buried under spoil and the second chamber was already lost. In a county where people have always dug beneath soft ground, the passage may have been a cellar, a cache or a way of keeping warm through winter.
Discovered 1984 after collapse revealed single rock-cut chamber (Wth 1.35m; H 0.6m) with roof partially excavated in boulder clay. Spoil prevented investigation of N end. Dry-stone walling noted on E wall. Second chamber, now destroyed, said to extend in N direction. The above description is derived from the published 'Archaeological Inventory of County Cork. Volume 1: West Cork' (Dublin: Stationery Office, 1992). In certain instances the entries have been revised and updated in the light of recent research. Date of upload/revision: 14 January 2009

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.

What survives
No visible remains or recorded as destroyed

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