RoTHERAM — On some Caves in the Co. Meath. 307 



Toad towards the north, I was told there were two caves. Mr. L. 

 O'Reilly kindly gave me permission to excavate for them, and indi- 

 cated their probable whereabouts. After some time the men employed 

 succeeded in finding a roofing-flag of the passage which had been 

 discovered many years ago when the hill here was reduced for the 

 improvement of the road. The road appeared to cut the passage at 

 right angles, and it was necessary to make a considerable hole in the 

 footpath to gain admittance to the latter, its roof being just level with 

 the road's surface. Having got in I found that about 12 feet of the 

 passage remained, and led to a fine, domed chamber of the usual con- 

 struction. (Plate VI., fig. 2.) 



An old man who had been in this cave when it was discovered, or 

 soon after — for it seems to have been left open for a long time — 

 assured me that there was a heap of ashes on the floor of the chamber, 

 and that a girl found a silver coin nearly as large as a shilling in the 

 passage, which, he and others examined, but being afraid to take it 

 out of the cave they left it among some gravel in the passage. As this 

 passage was so short, and if continued far enough in the same direc- 

 tion would appear on the other side of the road, I had a trench, cut 

 there for some yards, but failed to find the continuation. This trench 

 was 22 feet from the flag above the entrance by which we got into the 

 chamber. The passage was of the usual type, broader below than at 

 the top, and roofe<l with flags. Having obtained the necessary mea- 

 surements, I closed up the entrance, which from its position could not 

 be left open. 



The next cave was about a quarter of a mile further on, in a field 

 close to the same road, and near Ballinlough House. 



This cave, or rather its remains, turned out to be the smallest of 

 all I have examined. (Plate YI., fig. 3.) Its chamber was broken 

 down, and filled with earth, and only a small part of its walls 

 remained. The passage, which was 13-|-ft. long, was only l^ft. high 

 and 1ft. 10 in. wide, making it a most difficult matter to wriggle 

 through it. The roof, walls, and floor were covered with a black 

 deposit, probably soot, for the remains of a large fire existed all about 

 the mouth of the passage. No doubt some unfortunate who had 

 taken refuge here had been smoked to death. 



In the passage were found a flat piece of iron and one of the pipes 

 known as " Danes' pipes," such as are often found in Dublin, showing 

 that the cave had been open at a comparatively recent date. 



About a mile further north, a few hundred yards beyond Mac 

 Darnell's cross-roads, in a field to the left, I was told there was a cave 



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