What a thrill to scramble down the bank and into a cave that people have utilised for over 6500 years. I was surprised that the entrance to this limestone cave was sunk below the ground surface in front of it. The entrance is shaped like a rough inverted V and 6m wide at the base.
The interior is very rough and goes back for 8m or so. There is a small channel that leads out to a small entrance further up the escarpment.
When this was excavated in the 1930 and 1940s the remains of Irish elk were found as well as two inhumations. These were of a man and a woman. At first they were reported to be Paeleolithic in date, but carbon dating in the 1990s showed they were approximately 6500 years old, and so from the Neolithic.
Finds went through the Bronze Age (some cremation burials) and right on up to modern times. What a great place. The feeling of continuity is wonderful and standing in the entrance gives one a real thrill.
A Random Selection of Nearby Monuments