What is recorded here

Not a cave but a chamber, cut small and sealed, it lies forgotten in a Meath field near Ballinlough House. Rotheram found it in 1893 with its roof fallen and passage barely large enough for a person to crawl through. Sot coated the stones, and fire debris crowded the mouth, suggesting someone was trapped inside when smoke filled the chamber. A flat iron piece and a Danes pipe also emerged, marking the place as more than a crude hole dug and abandoned.

A Man-made underground passage at Ballinlough was described (Rotheram 1893, 306) as being in a field close to the road near Ballinlough House, but its precise location is not known. It is described as: ‘being much the smallest of all I have examined. Its chamber was broken down, and filled with earth, and only a small part of its walls remained. The passage, which was 13.5 feet l(c. 4.1m) long, was only 1.5 ft. (c. 0.45m) high and 1 ft. 10 inches (c. 0.55m) wide, making it a most difficult matter to wriggle through it. The roof, walls, and floor were covered with a black deposit, probably soot, for the remains of a large fire existed all about the mouth of the passage. No doubt some unfortunate who had taken refuge here had been smoked to death. In the passage were found a flat piece of iron and one of the pipes known as “Danes’ pipes”, such as are often found in Dublin, showing that the cave had been open at a comparatively late date.’ The above description is derived from the published 'Archaeological Inventory of County Meath' (Dublin: Stationery Office, 1987). In certain instances the entries have been revised and updated in the light of recent research. Compiled by: Michael Moore Date of revision: 25 February 2019

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