Stroove basement

Stroove Basement is located at Cavanagh Farm, 0.4 km north of the village of Stroove (also Shrove) in the Moville area in County Donegal , on the northeast coast of the Inishowen Peninsula , near Inishowen Head. The so-called ( rock-cut ) basement , which is typical of the northern region of Ireland , was discovered in 1918 while plowing in the middle of a field on a flat stretch in otherwise sloping terrain. The traces of tools can be seen on the rock walls. During the later excavation, there was 0.3 m of water in the middle part of the facility. The high water mark can be seen in section E. In the case of basements , a distinction is made between “earth-cut”, “rock-cut”, “mixed”, “stone built” and “wooden” (e.g. Coolcran, County Fermanagh ).

The beginning

The vertical entry opening (today's entrance) was only found later. The access (shaft A), around which a protective wall was built in the field level, is about 2.5 m deep and 1.25 to 1.55 m in diameter.

Corridors and chamber

Aisle E northeast of the entrance is 1.25 m wide and up to 1.25 m high. After about 3.8 m, on the left, at a height of about 1.5 m, is the narrow, roughly square (0.6 m) passage G, which leads diagonally upwards in a north-westerly direction.

The subsequent slightly rising north-west corridor is about 4.4 m long, 1.25 to 1.55 m wide and 0.9 m to 1.25 m high. At the end of the corridor, near the accidentally found entrance, there was a fireplace. Remnants of charcoal, a piece of flint, bone fragments (possibly more recent) and an animal tooth were found. The northwest corridor turns north at the end and has a 1.9 m high cantilever vault with a keystone.

The corridor S (from shaft A in a south-easterly direction) is about 3.8 m long, 0.9 to 1.25 m high, 0.9 to 1.35 m wide. The markings by tools can be seen more clearly here than in any other part of the basement.

Chamber W (southwest of shaft A) is accessed by an access approximately 0.9 m high and 0.75 m wide. The chamber is round, about 1.9 m in diameter and only 0.75 to 1.25 m high. A small opening of 0.4 × 0.4 m, 0.3 m above the ground connects it with the corridor S.

All floors (except in the northwest corner) are flat and covered in stones, some of which have recently fallen from the roof and walls. The farmer believes that the basement is more extensive. There appears to be an intentional lock near the accidental opening. He also found Shaft A filled when he first entered the basement. The connections between corridors E and S and chambers W were also blocked.

Nearby the farmer found a small stone box covered with a plate with bones in it. There is a cross pillar and a holy spring on the beach .

See also

• Basement in Ireland

literature

• Mabel R. Colhoun: The Heritage of Inishowen its archeology, history and folklore . 1995
• Mark Clinton: The Souterrains of Ireland. 2001, ISBN 1-869857-49-6 .

Web links

• http://www.movilleinishowen.com/history/moville_heritage/moville_heritage_htm/stroove_souterrain.htm

Individual evidence

1. ↑ In Ireland there are earth-cut, rock-cut, stone-built, timber-built and basements combined from several of these types

Coordinates: 55 ° 13 ′ 54 ″  N , 6 ° 56 ′ 10 ″  W.