AncientNorthSligo hideoutusedbyIRA
A remote hideout under the shadow of Benbulben Mountain, which was used during the War of Independence, has recently been surveyed by archaeologists from IT Sligo.
The results have just been published in ‘ Archaeology Ireland’.
The hideout is in fact an archaeological monument known as a souterrain.
It would have been over a thousand years old when it was reappropriated as an IRA hideout in the period 1919- 1921.
Ivan Sullivan, a lecturer in chemistry at IT Sligo, knew of the site as a child and brought it to the attention of Dr. Marion Dowd, a lecturer in archaeology at IT Sligo.
After an initial inspection of the site, the pair returned with archaeology lecturer Sam Moore and archaeology graduate Stewart Sullivan ( pictured) and the team carried out a detailed survey.
Dr. Dowd explained: “This monument was first constructed sometime between the 7th and 10th centuries AD, probably by a family who lived in a nearby ringfort.
Souterrains are essentially underground tunnels that were used in early medieval times to store butter and meat, to house fowl and small animals at night, and as hideouts if the ringfort settlement was attacked”.
The Benbulben souterrain fell out of use some time after the 10th century and was abandoned for a millennium or so.
The site offered an ideal location, however, to act as a hideaway for arms and/ or men during the War of Independence.
Locally, the souterrain is well- known as a War of Independence hideout, but most people did not realise that this hideout was actually an ancient archaeological monument.
Dr. Dowd has been researching the reuse of archaeological monuments by the IRA during the War of Independence: “It is a fascinating subject.
These sites are typically located in remote and isolated parts of the landscape, places that would not have been known to the Black and Tans and were ideal for guerrilla warfare.
The majority of the archaeological monuments I have recorded are from Sligo, Cork, Kerry and Clare – counties that were strongly involved in the War of Independence and related events.”