Kelly's Cave

Kelly's Cave is a limestone solutional cave and National Monument in County Mayo, Ireland.

Kelly's Cave
Uaimh Uí Cheallaigh
LocationNymphsfield, Cong, County Mayo
OSI/OSNI gridM 152 557
Coordinates53.544443°N 9.279192°W / 53.544443; -9.279192
Length16 m (52 ft)
Discoveryprehistoric
GeologyCarboniferous Limestone
Entrances1

Location

Kelly's Cave lies in woodland 500 m (1,600 ft) northeast of Cong.

History

English antiquarian Wilfrid James Hemp suggested the cave may have had prehistoric use, comparing it to ancient caves in Sardinia.[1]

It has been suggested that the cave may have been extended and modified in the middle ages for use as a hermitage related to Cong Abbey.[2]

This cave is supposed to have taken its name from a fugitive named Kelly who took refuge there following the 1798 Rebellion.

Another local tradition claims that Kelly was a man who, along with his family, was forced to live there during the Penal era (17th–18th century). Kelly became a highwayman to survive.

Description

The cave is about 16 m (52 ft) long and consists of two rectangular chambers and a hole in the roof which acts as a skylight. Four steps lead down to an underground stream, and benches have been carved into the walls.[3][4]

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gollark: Basically all widely-used software has had exploitable flaws of some kind, it doesn't seem to be getting better on the whole, and I don't want that sort of thing running my brain. At least actual brain hardware seems to mostly be insecure in ways which require physical access.

References
  1. "Geology" (PDF). Mayolibrary.ie. Retrieved 29 July 2018.
  2. Dowd, Marion (31 January 2015). "The Archaeology of Caves in Ireland". Oxbow Books – via Google Books.
  3. "Kelly's Cave". Lakedistrictheritage.ie. Retrieved 29 July 2018.
  4. Wilde, William R. (1 January 1872). "Lough Corrib, Its Shores and Islands: with Notices of Lough Mask". Lulu.com – via Google Books.
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