What is recorded here

Six earth-cut chambers branch beneath the Moneygaff East ringfort, linked by creepholes narrowed until only one person could squeeze through at a time. The deliberate tightness suggests refuge rather than storage, forcing whoever fled into that dark to face each chamber alone. Construction shafts still mark five of the rooms, preserving the moment human hands pulled stone and soil aside to build a hidden place for fear.

Small opening in centre of ringfort (094-03301-) reveals underground chamber. Inaccessible. (Cleary (1989, 28) describes six earth-cut chambers. Chambers 1, 3 and 4 are rectangular in plan, chambers 2 and 5 are irregular, while chamber 6 is C-shaped. Construction shafts recorded in all chambers except chamber 2. Notable features include deliberate narrowing of creepholes between chambers 2-3, 3-4 and 4-5 which Cleary suggests 'may indicate that the site was used as a refuge'; recesses in chamber 1 (opposite entrance) and 5 which also 'may have been a defensive element'. Drain noted in chamber 6. 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

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