County Dublin man Joe Thompson became the first human in probably centuries to explore an ancient souterrain.
Joe Thompson is a landscape enthusiast and wildlife expert from Donabate in North County Dublin, on the east coast of Ireland. In the past few days, he and some friends discovered what archaeologist think is probably an abandoned medieval souterrain – an underground stone tunnel network that probably once provided storage for foodstuffs and hiding places from Vikings.
In this incredible video, shot by Joe this week, he shows us the amazing moment when he explores the interior of the souterrain for the first time.
He is probably the first human in centuries to see its interior.
The souterrain was discovered accidentally by Joe's farmer friend Denis, who rents the land and grows cauliflowers on it. A harrow dislodged a stone forming part of the souterrain's roof and revealed the mysterious ancient tunnels beneath. This is now many souterrains have been discovered in Ireland over the decades.
Souterrains
Souterrains are not for the faint-hearted or those suffering with claustrophobia. Often they are not tall enough to stand up in and so require you to hunker or crawl through. Most souterrains are thought to date from roughly the 9th to the 12th centuries AD. It is thought they were used to store food at cool temperatures, mainly dairy produce, but they are likely to have also been used as hiding places from Viking raids, which became prevalent in the 9th century.
One stone in the souterrain at Donabate has markings on it which Joe suggests might be Ogham, an ancient form of writing in Ireland dating generally from the 4th to the 6th centuries AD.
The discovery has been reported to the National Monuments Service, which is sending a representative to the site this weekend to have a closer look at the new find.
Hundreds of souterrains have been found in various parts of Ireland. There are 18 souterrains recorded in County Dublin alone, and over 1,000 examples nationwide.
2 comments
Jim Mills – ah, that old Ben McBrady video. The bit about hiding places from meteor showers always gives me a laugh. Since meteor strikes in populated areas are extremely rare, even in modern times, there simply is no credibility to the claim that they were used as hiding places from meteors. And when you say “There are indications that these are much older than older, commonly accepted”, can you please cite some sources?
There has never been food found in any of these souterrains. There are indications that these are much older than older, commonly accepted. Oral tradition states that these were used as places to escape meteor showers of tremendous destruction thousands of years ago. https://youtu.be/FIrYD7djFH8?si=HD9LLdnmWk5J9RoY