Underground Ireland

liamo · 05-01-2007 10:02am

Spike Island in Cork Harbour has some tunnels. Some were used as magazines during the time that the Dept of Defence used it for training recruits for the Naval Service. I imagine that practice stopped when the Dept of Justice took it over for use as a prison

There were rumours of a tunnel from the Island to the mainland somewhere but I can't remember where it was supposed to terminate.

JaysusMacfeck · 05-01-2007 10:14am

Didn't read all the thread but there's a tunnel running from Booterstown beach up towards St. Andrews College. I remember a rugby play almost fell through a hole on the pitch. The tunnel was used for smuggling from what I heard.

There is reputed to have been an old mass tunnel (hiding and escape route for priests) in the Deer Park at Mount Merrion too.

JohnCleary · 05-01-2007 10:33am

Amazotheamazing wrote:

Afaik, there's also a series of medieval tunnels running under Galway city.

Would love if you could get more info/links on this!!

shapez · 05-01-2007 11:14am

If Dublin has any tunnels at all, they should've built a subway system!!

Fajitas! · 05-01-2007 11:20am

Dunno how much truth is in it, but supposedly there's a tunnel under the river in Waterford. From around Greyfriars church to that church in Ferrybank that you can see from the quay...

Black Swan · 05-01-2007 12:11pm

Know about the tunnels at Trin and the ways to get in?

Degsy · 05-01-2007 12:20pm

Around by strawberry beds(not sure exactly where),accesable only from the river is a subterranean,vaulted stone chamber.It may have served as a coold house or something like that.Its still theer anyway if anybody knows more about it.I think the structures were called "belvederes".
If anybody lives in the new santry woods complex,there were a lot of tunnels under the old santry demense.As far as i kniw they were mostly used for storing coal and wine but during the "emergency" the irish army used to keep weapons and explosives there.

Cash · 05-01-2007 3:26pm

There's an old 'escape' tunnel from Robert Emmets old gaff in Milltown - well I think its still there and probably could get permission by Fransiscans or businesses now using building, that's one with serious history.
There is supposed to be a long tunnel between coast of Malahide (near scout den) and the Malahide Castle, which would be very impressive, although I've never verified it, I was told by someone who claimed to have travelled it as a kid and said it came out in the wall between scout den and fisherman's cottage near the jetty.
I'd say there's loads of tunnels that just are not recorded nowadays but could be found with a bit of research - good luck, interesting project, post a link later to your findings...

Capt'n Midnight · 05-01-2007 6:19pm

there are several tunnels under the liffey - some now have fibreoptics through them

have you been down under Dublin castle yet ?

if you mean the county there are serveral mines in the mountains too

and lots of buildings along the quays have those trapdoors on the footpaths, perhaps you could get a worms eye view of the city too

Kipperhell · 05-01-2007 7:22pm

Capt'n Midnight wrote:

there are several tunnels under the liffey - some now have fibreoptics through them

have you been down under Dublin castle yet ?

if you mean the county there are serveral mines in the mountains too

and lots of buildings along the quays have those trapdoors on the footpaths, perhaps you could get a worms eye view of the city too

AFAIK there is only one tunnel under the Liffey but there are pipes under it. The one tunnel as descibed on an RTE program is up near East Link and they called it the only tunnel under the liffey

The trap doors in the streets are coal holes.

As mentioned Marino Casino used to have tunnels but AFIK they lead to the main house of the Charleville Estate and I doubt the ever lead direclty to the pub.

Saint Anne's Park has a few little tunnels and curiosities. I am pretty sure you could actully get into the old celler if you really wanted. It looks a bit dangerous to be honest but there are opening.

You can do a pub crawl of some river on the Northside. Vicount, Kitty Kernans, Panell house and Harry Burns all have wells from the same river/stream I think.

Capt'n Midnight · 05-01-2007 8:46pm

and there is that river that runs under the front garden of some people in mount argos

Steak · 05-01-2007 9:21pm

starn wrote:

I have also heared that tunnells extend out on to grafton St from the basement of some of the stores

I don't know if this is what you're talking about but if you go downstairs in Burger King on Grafton Street (the one near Boots), you can see that it extends a good bit out underneath the street! I'm sure you can notice this in other shops/restaurants on Grafton Street too!

starn wrote:

Its true, I've been down there. But wont recommended it. It's very dangerous.

in what way is it dangerous?

apparently there are tunnels stretching from St.Patrick's College in Cavan into the town to beneath the Courthouse! I'm not sure how true this is though!

Tom65 · 05-01-2007 9:34pm

There's a tunnel from Dalkey which (apparently) runs under the sea to Dalkey island, or at least used to. There's certainly somekind of tunnel there (I've seen it and been in it), but where as to where it goes I haven't the foggiest.

Dord · 05-01-2007 10:26pm

I can't believe nobody has mentioned St. Anne's park in Raheny, Dublin yet.

there are tunnells underneath the park, altough i think they are collapsing. apparently they were built for the people working in the Guinness house (long gone) in the park.

Corruptedmorals · 05-01-2007 11:07pm

julep wrote:

there are rumours of a tunnel from Leixlip castle to St. Mary's church in Leiclip village. don't know if it's true though.
i do recall there being a tunnel entrance at the back of the church when i was a kid, but that has since been filled over.
probably a suburban legend

Yeah, the church is undergoing refurbishment at the moment, so might be a good time to get permission for exploration..

admiralofthefleet · 05-01-2007 11:50pm

i also read on the irish architecture website that there is a lot of service tunnels between the north & south docks at grand canal quay, those tunnels that were mentioned in st. annes park sound cool, i might go exploring the next time im in raheny with the granny, and speaking of granny's she told me earlier that there was an air raid shelter and tunnels in ballybough, the tunnels leading from the air raid shelter to laurence o'tooles church in east wall

DonalN · 06-01-2007 12:39am

I have heard of tunnels under Lynch's Castle (AIB) on Shop street in Galway..

Also, there is a tunnel underneath Anthony Ryan's on shop street...it goes under the alleyway between the mens's and the ladies's shops...

JohnCleary · 06-01-2007 12:49am

DonalN wrote:

I have heard of tunnels under Lynch's Castle (AIB) on Shop street in Galway..

Also, there is a tunnel underneath Anthony Ryan's on shop street...it goes under the alleyway between the mens's and the ladies's shops...

How do I get into these tunnels?

Does Anthony Ryan own the rights to the tunnel? ie. have access

dSTAR · 06-01-2007 12:58am

I remember quite a few years ago some old Dublin writer friend of mine telling me about a group of writers and mystics (George William Russell and his ilk) who would have occult meeting in the catacombs under Dublin city center. Apparently there was all sorts of strange goings on in this maze of underground tunnels.

How much of this story is true is hard to ascertain because there are no records. As a result I became really interested in the Dublin catacombs although I never managed to turn up anything online. I'll be keeping an eye on this thread and see if it unearths anything.

legologic · 06-01-2007 3:53am

As someone mentioned earlier Pat Liddy's Hidden Dublin Series would be a great place to start. He's a well known and well regarded Dublin historian so he'd probably be able to give you more than just rumors and some actual good quality places to start checking out.

Also If you stand at Parnell monument and look south there are two black bollards that look like bins but only have small vent holes drilled on them. These are apparently vents for an tunnel under O'Connel St.

They can be seen in this picture on the bottom right hand side of the pillar
parnell_monument_2004.jpg

Victor · 06-01-2007 8:07am

There is a pedestrian tunnel under James's Street for Guinness.

admiralgar wrote:

there is a tunnel linking the pro cathedral in dublin to westland row church beside pearse train station (also in dublin)

I'm wondering if someone told you a story on that one.

admiralofthefleet · 06-01-2007 8:09am

Victor wrote:

There is a pedestrian tunnel under James's Street for Guinness.

I'm wondering if someone told you a story on that one.

yeah victor, my mothers boyfriend told me, i presumed it was true

Victor · 06-01-2007 8:39am

The vast majority of these aren't "tunnels". With most city centre sites the building owner owns to the centre of the street. In fact, what one sees as a basement, isn't a basement, but you are standing on an elevated street. Typically the arches under the street were coal cellars.

In addition, older sewers tended to be just big enough for a man to fit - for unblock purposes. :eek:

jackdaw wrote:

I heard there is a tunnel connecting Connelly station and Heuston station,

The Phoenix Park Tunnel.

Red Alert wrote:

The administration in UCD appear to downplay the existence of the tunnels as much as possible, leading me to believe that they are in fact all there.

They are service tunnels from the boiler building to the rest of the campus, nothing too exciting.

liamo wrote:

There were rumours of a tunnel from the Island to the mainland somewhere but I can't remember where it was supposed to terminate.

No, it was a timber walkway.

JaysusMacfeck wrote:

Didn't read all the thread but there's a tunnel running from Booterstown beach up towards St. Andrews College.

Are you sure it wasn't just a drain / stream culvert?

Capt'n Midnight wrote:

and there is that river that runs under the front garden of some people in mount argos

The River Poddle, from Tallaght to Temple Bar.

admiralgar wrote:

i also read on the irish architecture website that there is a lot of service tunnels between the north & south docks at grand canal quay

These wer very short from teh quayside to the warehouses on the otherside of the road. It cut don't on pilferage and the need to interact with traffic.

andrew · 06-01-2007 6:18pm

In St. Annes park theres a tunnel from where the house used to be to the park depot (the old servents' house) so that the Guinness family didn't have to see the servents. It's not open at the moment, so i doubt you'd be able to get into it. I think there are plans for refurbishment though.

And for some reason my next door neighbour built a bunker for protection during the war. It's filled in now (i think) but i did see it once, it was full with water. Weird though.

MarkR · 06-01-2007 7:26pm

Think they're filled in now, but there used to be pill boxes near shannon airport to cover the runway during ww2. Had / has a tunnel connecting two of them, was in them when I was younger.

Fanny Cradock · 06-01-2007 7:35pm

Guinness at St James' Gate apparently has a fairly extensive underground network of tunnels that were used way back when.

Owen · 06-01-2007 7:49pm

Cork, originally being canalled like Venice, is full of archwork, and stonework undernearth the main streets, and is probably Tunnel Nirvana. I would imagine the only way to access them is to brave the extremely large sewer pipes at low tide on the river. The residual evidence of canal structures is all over the Southmall, with elevated steps leading to premises, and boathouse entrances underneath the steps.

I'm also aware of a tunnel in Cork, which ran from Red Abbey (The tiny tower on Red Abbey Street that used to be a small church) to North Abbey (The other tower near Mount Sion Road) for evacuation purposes of Priests, etc. I would imagine it's more or less destroyed now by extensive housing developments in the area.

This is an amazing thread though, keep it up! I would love to get into that abandoned Air Shelter in O'Connell St. I got into the old Public Bathhouse in Cork City before they demolished it, and as it had never been really used, it was like a time machine. I can only imagine the same being true if by using this thread, we all found something lost over time!

Exit · 07-01-2007 1:07am

Great stuff. I've always been interested in hidden history like this.

As someone already mentioned, there is apparently some kind of underground tunnel/catacombs under St. Michan's Church.

I used to work at the airport and always heard that rumour about an underground tunnel for future Metro purposes, but never confirmed it. There is a door to the far right in the Arrivals Hall, and I asked someone what was behind it and was told that it might lead there, but that could've been spoofing.
When I worked there, I worked night shift with a downtime of 3-4 hours, so I'd just wander around airside. Not a tunnel, but underneath the baggage hall is another unused baggage hall. Don't know if it's ever been used, or if it's there for future passenger growth, but it's kinda eerie down there. It's completely dead but the lights and TV screens are all on. Like I said, it's not really a tunnel. The entrance is probably viewable from the A Gates. It's a road leading underground.

Even though I had security clearance for these places, I sometimes felt uneasy about being caught in places I wasn't really supposed to be (there's security cameras everywhere too) like the hangars and other empty corridors and stairwells.

To the original poster, have you any pictures to share from your adventures? They'd be real interesting, especially the sewers. Not quite the same, but I remember seeing a documentary about Alexandria's sewers where they just re-used parts of older buildings (with a lot of sculpturing) to build the structures. I doubt Dublin is anything like that, but I'd like to see it anyway.

andrew · 07-01-2007 1:30am

I can see it now... the boards urban potholing club / forum
also

Pat Liddy's Dublin walking tours. He might know a thing or two, according to him there are underground tunnels and an air raid shelter in merrion square.

sturgo · 07-01-2007 2:19am

Tom65 wrote:

There's a tunnel from Dalkey which (apparently) runs under the sea to Dalkey island, or at least used to. There's certainly somekind of tunnel there (I've seen it and been in it), but where as to where it goes I haven't the foggiest.

it goes from the back of Loretto Dalkey to dalkey island. I think it colappsed in half way through. I remember being down there about 15 years ago.

I've also heard of a tunnell going from Booterstown down to the coast.

mikemac · 07-01-2007 4:09pm

In Galway, there was an underground tunnel from Galway train station out to Woodquay where the train line went over embankments. These embankments are still there as are the remains of the bridge over the Corrib. It was closed in the 1930's

I did a history video of this back in college. You still see the beginning of the tunnel if you go along that path beside the train station which leads to Renmore.

The tunnel was destroyed when the Radisson was built as that hotel and the Fairgreen Hotel are basically built into the side of a hill.

There's a large launderette in Bohermore and part of the tunnel runs under it. I seem to remember the City Council blocked the owners from altering the site they owned.
You can see old photos of the train tunnel if you go into Park House Hotel.

Great thread, keep it up.

Victor · 07-01-2007 9:46pm

ned78 wrote:

I'm also aware of a tunnel in Cork, which ran from Red Abbey (The tiny tower on Red Abbey Street that used to be a small church) to North Abbey (The other tower near Mount Sion Road) for evacuation purposes of Priests, etc. I would imagine it's more or less destroyed now by extensive housing developments in the area.

I think you are much mistaken.

http://www.corkpastandpresent.ie/corkimages/camera_club-red.shtml

http://www.corkpastandpresent.ie/corkimages/camera_club-callanans.shtml

This is an amazing thread though, keep it up! I would love to get into that abandoned Air Shelter in O'Connell St.

Its not there anymore.

I got into the old Public Bathhouse in Cork City before they demolished it, and as it had never been really used, it was like a time machine. I can only imagine the same being true if by using this thread, we all found something lost over time!

On Eglinton Street?

Exit wrote:

I used to work at the airport and always heard that rumour about an underground tunnel for future Metro purposes, but never confirmed it. There is a door to the far right in the Arrivals Hall, and I asked someone what was behind it and was told that it might lead there, but that could've been spoofing.

I think they were spoofing

When I worked there, I worked night shift with a downtime of 3-4 hours, so I'd just wander around airside. Not a tunnel, but underneath the baggage hall is another unused baggage hall. Don't know if it's ever been used, or if it's there for future passenger growth, but it's kinda eerie down there. It's completely dead but the lights and TV screens are all on. Like I said, it's not really a tunnel. The entrance is probably viewable from the A Gates. It's a road leading underground.

The basement is being converted into a new check-in area for Ryanair.

andrew wrote:

Pat Liddy's Dublin walking tours. He might know a thing or two, according to him there are underground tunnels and an air raid shelter in merrion square.

That, you might need to have security clearance for.

Spitfire666 · 07-01-2007 11:09pm

if i'm not mistaken was that shelter on o connell street not turned into a public/junkie toilet before it was taken out altogether?

JohnCleary · 08-01-2007 1:12am

Was the beginning of this tunnel between the station, and the walk-way leading out over Lough Atalia? Is ther eanything left on the Woodquay side?

And most importantly, can it be accessed?

micmclo wrote:

In Galway, there was an underground tunnel from Galway train station out to Woodquay where the train line went over embankments. These embankments are still there as are the remains of the bridge over the Corrib. It was closed in the 1930's

I did a history video of this back in college. You still see the beginning of the tunnel if you go along that path beside the train station which leads to Renmore.

The tunnel was destroyed when the Radisson was built as that hotel and the Fairgreen Hotel are basically built into the side of a hill.

There's a large launderette in Bohermore and part of the tunnel runs under it. I seem to remember the City Council blocked the owners from altering the site they owned.
You can see old photos of the train tunnel if you go into Park House Hotel.

Great thread, keep it up.

Owen · 09-01-2007 10:07pm

Victor wrote:

I think you are much mistaken.

http://www.corkpastandpresent.ie/corkimages/camera_club-red.shtml

http://www.corkpastandpresent.ie/corkimages/camera_club-callanans.shtml

Sorry Victor, I can't see anything in your post that contradicts mine. There was indeed a tunnel under Red Abbey (According to the people living there, and Kieran McCarthy, Cork Historian), and while the tower in your second link isn't of monastic origin, there was indeed a tower close to Greenmount that it was supposed to link to.

Bateman · 09-01-2007 10:52pm

Cracking thread this, I have just spent the past 45 mins reading it and I'm not even usually into anything like this. :eek:

redmosquito · 10-01-2007 1:48pm

There are a couple of known tunnels beneath Castlebar.
There is one from the courthouse to what is now the motor tax office. It used to be a prison or some kind of place for keeping prisoners before trial and the tunnel was used to bring them to court. I think its closed off now though.

There is a tunnel leading from the old graveyard to the lake in the town. I know the start point for the tunnel in the graveyard (which is blocked) but have yet to find whereabouts it cmes out at the lake.

fits · 10-01-2007 2:00pm

There is a tunnel under Thomas street linking the Guinness sites. I've been in it, its also pictured in the brewhouse series advert ( I think it has featured in more than one ad actually)
I went on an engineering tour of Guinness once and was brought up to the top of one of their buildings to see the whole process from beginning to end. It was so so interesting.

admiralofthefleet · 10-01-2007 4:41pm

i used to work in the cross bar in harolds cross, there is a tunnel from the cellar out the back of the pub to the house beside the bookies, the owners of the pub a long time ago owned the house

_blank_ · 10-01-2007 4:52pm

Bateman wrote:

Cracking thread this, I have just spent the past 45 mins reading it and I'm not even usually into anything like this. :eek:

Sedonded.

Very, very interesting reading.

This is why I love Boards tbh.

Dingatron · 10-01-2007 5:18pm

Exit wrote:

Great stuff. I've always been interested in hidden history like this.

I used to work at the airport and always heard that rumour about an underground tunnel for future Metro purposes, but never confirmed it. There is a door to the far right in the Arrivals Hall, and I asked someone what was behind it and was told that it might lead there, but that could've been spoofing.

This was not a tunnel but part of the 6 bay basement extension to terminal 1. It was a possible location for a station for the proposed Metro however it is now the soon to be open Checkin Area 14.

but underneath the baggage hall is another unused baggage hall. Don't know if it's ever been used, or if it's there for future passenger growth, but it's kinda eerie down there.

This is also part of the 6 bay lower basement. It is in full use but I know what you mean about it feeling eerie.

mike65 · 10-01-2007 5:35pm

The only Waterford tunnel I know of

http://www.deisedesign.com/de3/categories/services/article26/6.jpg

Mike.

Fajitas! · 10-01-2007 5:39pm

Where abouts is that?

Must see if I can dig up any more info of the Greyfriars one.

Static M.e. · 10-01-2007 5:40pm

These could be just rumours but here you go.

Garbally College in Ballinasloe is suppose to have tunnels leading from the main building out in the grounds somewhere this was for the priests has an excape route.

St Endas secondary school in Galway is meant to have an another tunnel which leads from under the stage out under the shop across the road.

mike65 · 10-01-2007 5:48pm

Fajitas! Thats part of the old Waterford/Dungarvan railway, its at Durrow townland about 5 miles from Dungarvan if I recall. There's a nice viaduct too.

Mike.

Jaden · 12-01-2007 11:33am

JohnCleary wrote:

Was the beginning of this tunnel between the station, and the walk-way leading out over Lough Atalia? Is ther eanything left on the Woodquay side?

And most importantly, can it be accessed?

Anyone want to go looking for this? I'm game. I'm thinking if we wander over to Woodquay and up the embankment we might find something.

andrew · 14-01-2007 1:23am

This is the mother of all hidden tunnels (at niagra falls) Sooo cool

Fajitas! · 14-01-2007 12:48pm

mike65 wrote:

Fajitas! Thats part of the old Waterford/Dungarvan railway, its at Durrow townland about 5 miles from Dungarvan if I recall. There's a nice viaduct too.

Mike.

Ah right! Thanks Mike!

Musashi · 14-01-2007 10:17pm

Isn't there supposed to be a tunnel under Dungarvan Harbour, going from the Castle in Dungarvan to the old Abbey on the headland in Abbeyside! My father says he's been in it but it had fallen in very near the Castle side. He's a horrible liar though so may be all bollix talk

I have been into some of the caves around town, back of the Cattle Mart for one, they go in a good ways and are rumoured to link with the Whitechurch caves. We couldn't find our way through so drove out to Whitechurch (10 miles) and got in at that end as well. Well scary tight places they were too, made watching any caving movie since a heart thumping flashback experience

Happy Days!

admiralofthefleet · 15-01-2007 6:22pm

saw this in tonights herald

archaeologists excavating the route of the M3 motorway from dublin to navan have unearthed a sixth century underground passage in near perfect condition at roestown, co. meath.
but the passage, used to store food and valuables and as a place of refuge, will not be preserved for future generations as a tourist attraction.
instead its location and condition will be recorded before it is capped and the motorway is built above it

Underground Ireland

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