What is recorded here

Thirty centimetres shorter than a standing man, the cave on Scariff Island forces every visitor to bend before it shows its throat. Built with lintels and corbelled stone beside the old enclosure, it twists west beneath the slope until collapse seals the far end. The chamber never claimed to be large; it claimed to be hidden, and it succeeded.

Scariff Island is located 5 km SW of Hog's Head, on the N side of the mouth of Kenmare Bay. The ecclesiastical site on it is reached by a path that leads uphill from the landing place at Coosaneeve/Cuas na Naomh, on the island's NE shore. It consists of the remains of a terraced oval enclosure, within which is the site of an oratory and a burial ground, as well as a nineteenth century house. Outside the enclosure at SW is a Man-made underground passage. The entrance to a Man-made underground passage (KE105A-001004-) is located just outside the enclosure (KE105A-001002-) at SW. Built into a steep slope, it measures .4m high x 1.1m wide and gives access to a passage which extends 2.8m WNW before turning to WSW for a further 4.1m, where it is blocked with collapse. The passage is up to .9m high and averages .9m wide. It is roofed with lintels, and its well-built drystone walls corbel inwards as they rise. The above description is derived from A. O'Sullivan and J. Sheehan (compilers), 'The Iveragh peninsula: an archaeological survey of South Kerry'. Cork University Press (1996), no. 967. In certain instances the entries have been revised and updated in the light of recent research. Date of upload: 30 July 2013

The monument record does not grant public access. Check the route and ask the landowner before entering private land.