Ballybunion discovery!

ejmaztec

I haven't visited this site but it looks promising.

http://www.kerryman.ie/news/erosion-opens-a-window-on-ballybunions-early-history-3006467.html

Erosion opens a window on Ballybunion's early history

By DÓNAL NOLAN

Wednesday February 01 2012

A COMPLEX network of underground tunnels is being explored in Ballybunion after erosion in the last year opened up a stunning window on our early Christian past.
A subterranean system of tunnels was opened up on the cliffs under the Castle Green by the severe freeze-up of the last two years. While locals had noticed the holes in recent times, it is only coming to light this week that Ballybunion is on the brink of an exciting historical discovery.
Local historian Danny Houlihan was the first to explore the tunnels — with the aid of a camera mounted on a remotecontrolled car — recently. But with the erosion he was this week able to gain access himself.
What he found was stunning. "It appears to be the interior of a welldesigned early Christian site, a souterrain-type passage that is throwing new light on the ancient past of Ballybunion," he said.
Mr Houlihan has brought the matter to the attention of Minister for Arts, Heritage and Gaeltacht Jimmy Deenihan and a full archaeological survey is to be conducted of the site in the coming months.
The implications for heritage tourism in Ballybunion are massive, Mr Houlihan said.
"While it was known locally there were caves... and we presumed they were natural. Now, through the intricate stonework we can see they are clearly man-made. This will become a vital addition to the National Monuments of Ireland and will bring muchneeded tourists to Ballybunion and north Kerry. Ultimately, I would love to see it designated as a World Heritage Site for future generations to enjoy," Mr Houlihan said.

slowburner

A souterrain is listed in Ballybunion here http://webgis.archaeology.ie/NationalMonuments/FlexViewer/ (KE004-031003)
Is this recorded one part of the 'new' complex?

ejmaztec

slowburner wrote: »

A souterrain is listed in Ballybunion here http://webgis.archaeology.ie/NationalMonuments/FlexViewer/ (KE004-031003)
Is this recorded one part of the 'new' complex?

I don't know exactly where the "new" discovery is, but the location on your map does seem to be in the Castle Green area, the bit mentioned in the article.:eek:

Further investigation is in order.

dubhthach

If the site is as vulnerable to erosion as implied then a dig needs to be done. Either that or some coast defence. I would imagine excavation would be considerably cheaper route.

ejmaztec

Here's a bit more from the "Ballybunion News", a downloadable pdf minus a couple of photos, which is the reason for the strange layout.

It seems that this guy has been poking around since 1991, but The Kerryman article gives the impression that everything has happened a lot more recently.

http://www.ballybunionnews.com/index.htm

11
Danny discovers Ballybunion’s "New Grange"

Ancient caves and underground passages which have recently come to public knowledge could
see Ballybunion recognised as another New Grange according to experts.

These Sous Terra or Underground Chambers which lie beneath the cliffs under the "Castle
Green" and were built during the Iron Age and Christian period.
The steep and vertical cliffs of the Ballybunion coastline afforded a natural defence to the
seafaring culture who colonized the Ballybunion area around 11AD but the town in fact had
people in its surroundings from 7000-4000 BC according to local historian Danny Houlihan.


In the last century, the caves of Ballybunion were
documented by geologist William Ainsworth but
they were not properly surveyed and many people
since then have stated that more existed .
In September 1991 Danny took a radio-controlled
model car to pieces and fitted a camcorder to it to
explore an edifice in the cliffs beneath the the
Castle Green and the toy car was placed within a
small hole approx. 4-ft in diameter
(right) .


Danny then waited for a while before retrieving
the device by pulling on a clothes line which he
had attached to it earlier and he headed home
to view the VHS tape. His late mother Teresa saw the results and declared "It’s another New
Grange".

Waiting almost ten years, Danny finally plucked up the courage to scale the cliff towards the end
of last year as the area had changed greatly due to severe winters and constant erosion, but he
found that a number of these holes had been filled in for some unknown reason ?

He contacted Denis Power of the National Monuments and Parks & Wildlife Service and following
a presentation to him and Minister
Jimmy Deenihan, Danny and
Destination Ballybunion were
assured that a survey would be
approved which will be funded by
the government, and so, a team of
experts is due to descend on the
site shortly.

According to Danny there are two
types of tunnels in place, one by
stone line and the other by boring.
Ballybunion now has a chance to
have this developed into a major
tourist attraction not just on
Danny’s say so, but because its
part of the town history and heritage. Who knows what they will find when the exploration gets
underway ? Maybe Danny has opened "Pandoras Box" !

slowburner

ejmaztec wrote: »

I don't know exactly where the "new" discovery is, but the location on your map does seem to be in the Castle Green area, the bit mentioned in the article.:eek:

Further investigation is in order.

A natural first impression would be that the whole thing is an effort to raise Ballybunion's profile, and who would quibble with that?

The National Monuments record only lists a single souterrain in the area, so if indeed it is a complex, that would be exciting.
It's quite possible that it is newly discovered, given that the inventory of national monuments dates back to 1987, unless subsequently reviewed.

It is interesting that they mention evidence of boring.
It sounds as if this could be early mining activity. That would be extremely interesting. I don't know the exact date of the listed souterrain (1st to 5th C AD? probably), but if the mining activity predates the souterrain to the Bronze age, that would be big news.

Is the whole lot linked to the castle btw?

You might stir an archaeologist from their slumbers, if you posted over there