Cave — Clopook

A cave (LA019-021002-) is cut into the SSW face of the prominent limestone rock / hill now covered in ash and hazel woodland c. 4m below the hillfort of Clopook (LA019-021001-) as depicted on the 1907 ed. of the OS 25-inch map. Clopook church (LA019-022----) and graveyard (LA019-022001-) are located 270m to SSW. The cave opening (Wth 6.6m H 1.8m)faces SSW and is annotated as 'Cave' on the 1839 ed. OS 6-inch map. A pathway leads up from the base of the hill on the W side to the opening of the cave. Present remains consist of a large wide opening in the cliff face which leads into an irregular shaped chamber (L 11.5m; max. H 2.5m; max. Wth 5.2m) with clay floor which narrows at back of cave into a passage running NE for an undetermined distance. Evidence of badger setts burrowed into clay floor in NW quadrant of cave, located 7m in from entrance of cave. Directly inside cave to the NW the clay floor has two shallow holes (dims. 1m x 1.4m; D 0.2m) with spoil heaped up around openings which are probably the result of animal burrowing. The clay floor of the cave appears to be quite deep as the opening of the badger setts measured 0.5m wide by 0.7m deep and continued down into the floor of the cave. At the NE end of the cave the clay floor narrows to form a channel or passage (Wth 0.55m x D 0.6m) which runs NE for an undetermined length, it is not clear if this narrow passage has been formed by animal burrowing. The cave was described in 1965 as on the ‘south side of the crag on which is situated the Dun or Fort of Clopook. The cave entrance is 5 ft. (1.52m) high by 12 ft. (3.65m) wide but the floor shelves upwards and the cave becomes impassable after 20ft. (6m)’ (Coleman 1965, 17). Described by Daniel Byrne in 1852 as ‘the dun of Cloch-an-Phuca, commonly called Clopook (LA019-021001-), i.e. the Puca’s Rock, is situated in a valley about two miles, in a southerly direction from Timahoe, in the Queen’s County. It consists of a partially isolated rock, standing out from the range of hills on the northeast side of the valley, and was mot probably at a very early age occupied as one of the chief fortresses of the O’Moore’s, perhaps indeed a royal residence. Within the rock, and beneath the fortification above described, is an extensive cave the entrance of which is on the south-west side. It is seven yards [6.4m] in breadth and three [2.7m] in height; as a person advances in, it is from four [3.65m] to five [4.5m] yards in breadth and at thirteen yards [11.8m] from the entrance it becomes extremely narrow, and is closed up by dry stones, lest cattle descend into the cave and be lost’ (Byrne 1852, 298). This cave was possibly used an Early Christian hermitage and is locally associated with St. Fiac of the monastery of Sleaty (LA032-018001-). Comerford recorded this tradition and described the cave as located underneath ‘the hill is a cave running 36 feet [11m] and about 10 feet [3m] wide at the mouth, a receptacle for robbers in former ages. The cave, which appears to be a natural one, is, as yet open, runs to an extent of 7 or 8 yards [7m] into the rock, and is from 5 to 6 or 7 feet [2m] high. It is said this cave runs farther into the rock than at first appears to an observer, and that a narrow passage, leading from it, gives admission to an internal part which is extensively wide, and the height of a man. In the Vita Tripartita of St. Patrick, written by St. Evin, it is stated that St. Fiacc, Bishop of Sletty [Sleaty LA032-018001-], used to go, on Shrove Tuesday, to a cave on the hill of Drum-Coblai, bringing with him five barley loaves mingled with ashes. At the end of Lent he returned to Sletty to celebrate the festival of Easter with his brethern, bringing with him a portion of one of the loaves. The learned author of the Loca Patriciana identifies the cave at the Dun of Clopoke as that to which St. Fiacc used to retire for the penitential observance of Lent. It is distant about 7 miles north-west of Sletty. There lingers still, he remarks, in the locality a tradition that in long ages past a Saint used to retire to this cave to pray and fast, after which he returned to his distant church by a subterraneous passage leading south’ (Comerford 1886, 129). The above description is derived from the published 'Archaeological Inventory of County Laois' (Dublin Stationery Office, 1995) compiled by P. David Sweetman, Olive Alcock and Bernie Moran. In certain instances the entries have been revised and updated in the light of recent research. Compiled by: Caimin O'Brien Updated by: Caimin O'Brien Date of revised upload: 23 March 2015