Underground Ireland – the beauty that lies beneath

Ancient caverns and hidden rivers, otherworldly rock structures and whispers of the past are to be found underground across the Irish landscape. And this being Ireland, there’s a story or two to go along with every one.   

Your subterranean journey must include the renowned Marble Arch Caves UNESCO Global Geopark in County Fermanagh. It has both above ground and below ground beauty, but it’s the Geopark’s network of caves that is the showstopper.

A guided tour through winding underground passages and lofty chambers, past glistening stalactites and dramatic cave formations is an enthralling experience. 

But to see the longest, free-hanging stalactite in Europe you need to travel to Doolin, County Clare, to iconic Burren country. The Great Stalactite – 7.3 metres (23 feet) – hangs in Doolin Cave and is an awesome sight. It’s said that the cavernous cave may have inspired Tolkien, who visited the Burren just before writing The Lord of the Rings.

If you dare, seek out and enter the Caves of Keshcorran in County Sligo. The sixteen interconnecting caves of white limestone sit at the base of low cliffs and are said to be doors to the otherworld. Legend has it that Finn McCool, a mythical hunter-warrior, was bound in the caves by the supernatural Tuatha Dé Danann and that Cormac mac Airt, a High King of Ireland, was raised by wolves there.

In County Antrim, the Cushendun Caves, formed through 400 million years of extreme weather conditions, have become a part of modern storytelling as it was there that  Melisandre gave birth to a terrifying shadow baby in Game of Thrones®.  The caves now form part of the popular tours to various filming locations along the Causeway Coast.

Underneath the pleasant landscape of County Kilkenny is historic Dunmore Cave, first mentioned in the ninth-century Triads of Ireland, where it is referred to as one of the ‘darkest places in Ireland’. Discoveries within the cave have included human remains that may be related to slaughter carried out by Viking invaders.   

Locals refer to the cave as the ‘mouth of the beast’ but it is now a fascinating show cave with guided tours that illuminate the geology, history and mythology associated with it. 

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