Mine

In blanket bog, on W slopes Ballyrisode Hill, c. 200m N of main Schull-Goleen road. Isolated mine working; discovered 1854 by landowner Richard Hungerford; investigation of mine interior uncovered stone mining mauls and cache of twelve polished stone axes (Caulfield 1880, 341-2). Near-horizontal working driven 62 into low W-facing outcrop; interior flooded. Overall length 3.5m; entrance (Wth 3.8m; H 1.8m); interior (Wth1.8m; H 1m). Smooth concave wall rock profile typical of fire-set workings. Outside entrance, spoil mound (13m E-W; 7m N-S), with narrow antiquarian trench (L 13.5m; Wth 1.2m; D 1m); no spoil exposed. (O'Brien 1987) A charcoal sample from this mine was radiocarbon dated to 3400±30 BP (O'Brien 2000, 21-2). 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