igii. Evans. — A^<?/-".s- ^7/ Ovens Cavei, Co. Cork. 179 



NOTES ON THE OVENS CAVES, CO. CORK. 



BY ROBERT W. EVANS. 



These caves are situated about eight miles from Cork City 

 alongside the old coach road to Macroom, and about a 

 mile from Kilumney railway station. The earliest reference 

 to them is to be found in Smith's " History of Cork," which 

 states that " in the Parish of the Ovens is a most remarkable 

 cave beneath a stupendous limestone arch twelve feet high 

 at the entrance, but declines to less than six. 

 The passage is on the W. side, but in about twent}' yards 

 the cave winds to the S. and S.E. Another waj^ leads due 

 W. to a well about 80 vards from the entrance. There are 

 many other passages, the whole forming a perfect labyrinth 

 under ground. . . . The country people say that 

 the cave runs to Gillabbey near Cork." 



This description is substantially an accurate account of 

 the geography of the cave; but the "stupendous arch" 

 does not now exist, and the height of the main entrance is 

 about the same measurement as that given in Lewis' 

 " Topographical Dictionary " 1837, viz., three feet. The 

 statement that the cave runs to Gillabbey near Cork is, of 

 course, one of those grotesque fictions which the peasantry 

 living in the neighbourhood of caverns relate for the benefit 

 of credulous visitors. 



From the scenic point of view the Ovens are very uninter- 

 esting ; the stalactitic pendants where they occur are of 

 the most insignificant type, such as might be seen under an 

 ordinary limestone bridge, while the stalagmite is of a dirt}^ 

 brown colour, and exhibits but little variety of form. The 

 larger galleries are, however, important as types of cave 

 formation almost entirely due (the writer submits) to the 

 erosive action of subterranean streams. 



Two distinct classes of galleries occur. 



I. Irregular low-roofed fissures which seem to have been 

 formed along the secondary joints ; these contain floors of 



