Crag Cave, County KerryAuthor(s): John GunnSource: The Irish Naturalists' Journal, Vol. 20, No. 10 (Apr., 1982), pp. 445-449Published by: Irish Naturalists' Journal Ltd.Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/25538607 .

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Ir. Nat. J. Vol. 20 No. 10 1982 445

CRAG CAVE, COUNTY KERRY

John gunn

Department of Geography, University College, Cork*

Location and Summary Details:

O.S. 6 inch Kerry 40, N 20.0; W 8.0. N.G.R. R0130 1137 3 entrances all at approximately 60 m O.D.

Surveyed length 511 m (1678 feet) Depth approximately 10 m

History of Exploration

The Geological Survey Memoir to Sheet 162 mentions that in the townland of Crag, northeast of Castleisland, there are "caves worn by water, some of which can be traversed

for some distance" (Foot et al. 1859, p. 13). This information was repeated by Coleman (1965, p 24) who also drew attention to "a line of unnamed holes running north and south

approximately east of Crag House". The University of Bristol Spelaeological Society explored the Tralee area in 1962 and noted that:

"In the Crag House area a stream which joins the River Maine sinks twice and rises three times in its bed. It is probably the same water as is seen in two open rifts in a field to the north. The source of the water was not traced. Nearby are two large shakeholes", (Squires and Squires 1964, p. 140).

More recently Crag townland was prospected by the Cork Spelaeological Group who were informed by locals that all cave entrances had been filled in (Cian O'Se pers. comm.).

Earlier this year (1981), during the course of an investigation into water pollution in Castleisland, the Waterworks supervisor (David Keane) told J.G. that he had explored a cave near Crag House during his youth and that as far as he knew the entrance was still open. Hence, on 3 July, J.G. and Bridget Scanlon checked out the Crag area and located three entrances, one in a closed depression south of the House (Poll na Go Hum) and two more in an abandoned quarry to the east (Dimril Gate and Moria Gate). The Poll na Gollum depression is probably one of the shakeholes mentioned by U.B.S.S. though it is difficult to understand how they missed the entrance. The whole cave was explored on the same day, the only disappointment being the frequent encounters with rotting string and baling twine

which confirmed the prior visitations by locals. The dry passages and part of the stream way were surveyed (tape, compass and clinometer traverse) on 10 July by J.G., B.S., and Noreen Barrett and the survey was completed by J.G., Catherine Gunn and Robert Devoy on 21 July (Fig. 1). The survey standard is British Cave Research Association Grade 5C (Ellis 1976) and the error of closure on the circuit Dimril Gate ? Cirith Ungol Passage

?

Shelob's Lair ? Dimril Gate was 1.7 m 0.5% of the traverse length.

Description

The cave consists essentially of two main, sub-parallel, passages orientated

approximately north ? south. The lower (east) level contains the present stream and the upper (Cirith Ungol) is an old, abandoned stream way. The entrance used by the locals (both to gain access and as a dump!) is Dimril Gate ? a steep rift leading to a talus cone in a spacious chamber (The Hall of Moria). On the opposite side of the chamber a mud bank

Address from lst Sept, 1982: Dept. of Environmental and Geographical Studies, Manchester

Polytechnic, Manchester MIS 6BH.

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Terminal i?\ chokc/oSL^ ..

l&JnSTne green

j. m SHake (sump)

Mog.N(!981) ^^ H^L

/A- ^iBff"^ CRAG CAVE / / * H\ CASTLEISLAND. CO. KERRY

*X / rlowstone Bl

/N(,_^ *

[^^ N.G.R. R0I30 1137

/ /, /jfiF^ ALTITUDE : Approx. 60m. O.DL

/ ^^\ \M &C.RA. Grade 5C

^-S \ \-* W\ Surveyed July 1981 by:

.... II ?3* J. Gunn, B.Scanlon, N. Barrett. Cinth I I \Sa -. _ _ _.

> / \ ^^

TS C.Gunrt, R.Devoy.

PoilM. \ \ VJs^r-^ 0 10 20 Passage \ I

\BlgSSX '

1 / t^Li metre*

** y^vfl )2J **",^M^he Balrog's

(I I \ //v^our* 1 I fig

Fill V^C The Ho11

>^\ ll?^5>vMo,io _^-^^Gollum ' *

1/ .'Si^^^Nf-^^^^^fflP Downstream

i'/^^^T^< ^l choke

Figure 1. Survey of Crag Cave. *{gj

' (^

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Ir. Nat. J. Vol. 20 No. 10 1982 447

leads to an aven which must once have connected directly with the surface. A small stream with a cobbled floor and bordered by large mud-banks flows through the chamber, and at its southern end a steep slope leads back to the surface (Moria Gate). Downstream the passage decreases in height and width and eventually the stream flows into an intimidating and

probably impenetrable boulder choke. A few metres before the choke a 1.5 m climb gives access to a short dry crawl way leading to the Poll na Gollum entrance.

Upstream from the Hall of Moria there is a low (0.5-1.0 m) but wide (4-5 m) crawl in water and mud to a sump, The Balrog's Bathtub. Roof debris indicates that this section is flooded during wet weather. Returning to the Hall of Moria and climbing 3 m up towards

Dimril Gate, a passage leads northwest over two fine gour-pools with calcite crystals and

through a low squeeze to Cirith Ungol Passage. To the south this rapidly terminates in an

angular fill close to the side of the old quarry. In the opposite direction there is a pleasant walking size passage, with three low ox-bow loops and a number of well decorated grottoes. After a sharp elbow-bend the roof closes down and there follows some 40 m of low (< 1 m) but wide (4-6 m) passage with large gour's before walking passage is regained. At this point a low crawl leads east to a series of small phreatic tubes but the main passage continues northwards as a roomy tunnel, partly occupied by large blocks which have collapsed from the roof. It terminates in a complex boulder choke at the foot of which is a beautiful

sump-pool, The Green Lake.

To the south of the boulder choke 2 sub-parallel and inter connected phreatic tubes, 1-1.5 m in diameter, diverge from the main Cirith Ungol Passage. The easterly passage

descends steeply to a deep pool, which may be a sump, climbs, and then descends again to 2

sump pools. The passage to the west descends more gradually and enters a rift passage at Shelob's Lair. Here the Crag Stream emerges from a sump and it is necessary to drop 1 m into the deep sump pool and swim for 3 m to shallower water. The stream then meanders southwards, between mudbanks, in a 3-5 m wide, 1-3 m high passage. The passage contains many straw stalactites and several short climbs lead to small, well decorated

grottoes in abandoned, partially filled, loops. However, roof debris suggests that the low sections are frequently ducks and the whole streamway is probably water-filled at regular intervals. The passage terminates abruptly at the upstream side of the Balrog's Bathtub but a short phreatic tube (1-1.3 m diameter), with well developed scalloping provides a by-pass back to the Hall of Moria.

Geomorphology and Hydrology

In the Crag area the direction of underground water flow, and hence of the major cave

passages, appears to be controlled primarily by major joints orientated approximately north-south. All the passages are less than 20 m beneath the surface but the majority have rounded cross-sections and roof scalloping indicating that they were formed under phreatic conditions. Roof breakdown has played a part in the development of The Hall of Moria and of the northern end of Cirith Ungol passage, although the relative lack of debris in the former suggests that there has been minimal collapse in the recent past. The age of the cave is a matter for speculation but the presence of well calcited, angular to sub-angular cobbles

in the phreatic tubes leading from Cirith Ungol to Shelob's Lair suggests that these tubes were formed prior to the last glaciation.

At present the source of the Crag Cave Stream is uncertain. There are a number of stream-sinks to the north but most are currently (July) dry or have minimal flow so that the stream may be at least partly derived from seepage from the bed of the Glanshearoon River.

The route followed by the stream after it leaves the cave has been traced using fluorescein

dye (Fig. 2). It is first seen emerging from a sump at the base of a deep narrow rift, 240 m south of Crag House. After flowing across the floor of the rift it enters a small cave (Crag 2) and after only 10 m enters another sump. It then flows 160 m south to another closed

depression, emerges from a sump, flows through 20 m of open cave (Crag 3) and again sumps. A small hole in the base of a depression 30 m southeast gives access to the stream in a small chamber. Upstream is the inevitable sump but down-stream there is a pleasant

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448 Ir. Nat. J. Vol. 20 No. 10 1982

\ / ̂^A CRAG ( Crag / V T^% HOUSE j* \ Sink 4 ?>

/ jS*&^ ,0 ~**

Stream-fc4 y

/ /luT^mmm^000^ sinkV \ Cr?9 / //% OSink3

/ / (( CRAG / \ VCAVE

\ ft ? IO?

^NU\Gjx^ Poll na metres

^^^>^\ Gollum

\ 2

\ / _L

tsi Cr?g >^ \ \fj

Cave 3 { \

Cave 4 Jr* J^ j FRising ^L CASTLEISLAND

Pools Q_ V^ O I/Crog /

^^Anglore \ / ^

Stream y vOTS^^^^??"***-^-^"*

? ""~ Road Intermittent stream

^==^^ Cave passage Dye tracing link - Surface stream V^ Closed depression

Figure 2. Location of study area and surface/underground drainage.

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// . Nat. J. Vol. 20 No. 10 1982 449

flat-out crawl in the stream for 40 m (Crag 4) before it ultimately resurges through a fine

phreatic arch. From here the stream flows on the surface for a further 40 m before entering a

pool which has no surface outlet. To the south is a second pool, a karst window, which has no surface inlet or outlet, and finally a third pool which has a surface outlet, the Anglore Stream.

Future Prospects

All of the easily accessible passage has been explored and the main hopes for the future lie in the sumps. The water in the Green Lake is chemically distinct from that in the

streamway and as this sump is also several metres higher than the others it seems likely that it is a perched static sump which may give access to more dry passage. A programme of

water tracing experiments and analyses of water chemistry currently in progress should

provide some clues as to the possibility of dry passage beyond the Shelob's Lair sump.

Acknowledgements

Thanks are due to Anne Phelan (U.C.C.) and Catherine Gunn. A grant in aid of

publication from University College, Cork is gratefully acknowledged.

REFERENCES

Coleman, J. C. (1965) Caves of Ireland. Anvill Press, Tralee.

Ellis, B. (1976)Sttrvfyin# Caves. British Cave Research Association, Bridgwater. Foot, F. J. (1859) Geological Survey Memoir Sheet 162, Dublin.

Squire, R. & Squire, J. E. (1964) Caves in the Tralee Area, Co Kerry, Eire. Proc. Univ. Bristol Spelaeo. Soc. 10: 139-148.

ZOOLOGICAL NOTES

VERTIGO ANGUSTIOR JEFFREYS REFOUND AT LEIXLIP, KILDARE

D K Kevan found a small colony of the rare chrysalis snail Vertigo angustior Jeffreys in marshes

by the Rye Water at Louise Bridge on the Royal Canal, Kildare, in 1932 and again in 1933 (Kevan (1933)/r. Nat. J. 4:178). A single live specimen was subsequently taken on the banks of the canal by

D C Long and A Morris in 1968. Despite several searches by members of the Irish Biogeographical Society within the past year this species was not refound in the area. However, in the course of a field

trip held on 26 September 1981 as part of a weekend course on molluscan identification, members of

the Society found six live and one dead shells. These were washed out of vegetation uprooted and

brought back to the laboratory from a dense IrislSparganium sward close to the Rye Water

(N 992368). Norris and Colville (1974,/. Conch. Lond. 28: 141-154) note that V. angustior rarely climbs vegetation to any height making it particularly difficult to detect in situ in the field. This may account for the failure of previous attempts to refind the Rye Water (Leixlip) colony. Molluscan

associates noted at the site were: Pisidium personatum Malm, Aciculafusca (Montagu), Carychium minimum Muller, Succinea putris (L.), Cochlicopa lubrica (Muller), Vertigo antivertigo

(Draparnaud), V. pygmaea (Draparnaud), Leiostyla anglica (Wood), Punctum pygmaeum

(Draparnaud), Deroceras laeve (Muller), Euconulus alderi (Gray), Cepaea nemoralis (L.).

Vertigo angustior is becoming rarer in the British Isles and there are only two known localities on

the British mainland with six extant Irish sites. It would therefore seem prudent to examine the known

Irish loci in more detail and perhaps take some steps towards their preservation. Several of the older

sites, mostly western, (Ferriter's Cove, Derrynane in Kerry, Milltown Malbay, Lahinch in Clare and

Bonis Bridge, Carlow) have not been visited recently and there would seem to be considerable scope for improving our knowledge of the distribution of this species in central Ireland also.

Department of Agricultural and Food Chemistry,

Queens University, Belfast R. ANDERSON 12 Glasilawn Road, Dublin 11 D. DOOGUE

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