Dublin Mystery Tunnels

me-skywalker

There is a Tunnel at White Rock beach, if you go around the rocks at the far side, towards Dalkey, you will then come curve in the cliff and an doorway entrance.

There was an old story that it used to be a canabals cave used to scare the ****e outta me! Also heard one before that a climber went inside because it apprently went all the way upto KIlliney hill but he fell and died hanging and haunts the cave too!
I remmebr me and 2 other friends half explored this about 9 years ago when we where alot smaller and stupid! I remmebre we took flaslights and spray paint so we could find our way. Scary ****e!

gubernaculum

the UCD tunnels are pretty dull but we loved exploring them between long breaks between lectures a few years ago. kept getting caught by the security guards who eventually got really pissed off with us but worth a look if you're about belfield! most don't really lead anywhere in particular or are locked.

Seth Brundle

Where are the tunnel entrances in UCD - I was there for 4 years and don't recall any (as an Ag, I spent most time in the bar rather than going underground )

HavingCrack

kbannon wrote: »

Where are the tunnel entrances in UCD - I was there for 4 years and don't recall any (as an Ag, I spent most time in the bar rather than going underground )

They're all over the place if you know where to look. The most obvious one's are the grills outside Quinn and the Student centre. There's one in the basement of Newman, one in Engineering, one in the Physics bit of Science, one underneath the Water Tower and one behind the Ag block from what I remember (this one has been open before). There's a few more that I've forgotten. I presume that map of the tunnels is still lurking around the UCD forum.

Ron DMC

HavingCrack wrote: »

They're all over the place if you know where to look. The most obvious one's are the grills outside Quinn and the Student centre. There's one in the basement of Newman, one in Engineering, one in the Physics bit of Science, one underneath the Water Tower and one behind the Ag block from what I remember (this one has been open before). There's a few more that I've forgotten. I presume that map of the tunnels is still lurking around the UCD forum.

I've a copy of the map somewhere. I'll try and dig it out.

delta_bravo

ted1 wrote: »

myself and some friends waln the lakelands to bushy park tunnel about fifteen years ago. It goes from the ever flow in lakelands to the top of the waterfall in bushy park. It goes under Rathdown and has plenty of man holes along the way

I was in bushy this morning to have a look at this. Of what I saw it was simply a channel for the waterfall. Perhaps the water for it is drained from lakelands? It seemed to be very low, no more than 3ft high. Were you able to walk it or did you have to crouch?

I'd love to have a snoop but it seemed fairly small. Its a fair enough distance from Lakelands to the waterfall, just measured it there on gmap pedometer and its approx 400 metres as the crow flies. Its unlikely they built that just for a waterfall in a park.

sw15

THere were always rumours of a tunnel leading from Rathfarnham Castle under the dual carriage to Green's Pharmacy (basement) in the village...apparently found when the basement flooded. I did the tour of the castle a few years ago and the guide confirmed that there were tunnels for the servants (so the lord of the manor didnt have to see the 'staff' walking up the avenue).

Googled it and got this from Rathfarnham.com "One of the most interesting features of Rathfarnham are its secret tunnels. One lead from the castle to an exit at the present Castle Golf Club. Another led from the castle to the Protestant church in the village, this tunnel was only discovered in 1987. Both have been closed off."

TheVoodoo

Found it from an old thread!

UCD tunnels map

https://us.v-cdn.net/6034073/uploads/attachments/56149/36947.jpg

Tunnels are blue.

Yes, it's old ( Quinn, sutherland are not there )

Seth Brundle

Cool.
Several new buildings there since I was terrorising the Ag block.

Is that a tunnel around the lake? I presume not.

On an unrelated matter, is that Quinn Business School anything to do with Sean Quinn?

TheVoodoo

kbannon wrote: »

Cool.
Several new buildings there since I was terrorising the Ag block.

Is that a tunnel around the lake? I presume not.

On an unrelated matter, is that Quinn Business School anything to do with Sean Quinn?

Nah, Lochlann Quinn.

+ No, i dunno why it's blue, but it's not a tunnel.

JackieChan

kbannon wrote: »

There is a tunnel going under James St linking Diageo (Guinnesses) on one side of the road to the other

There are 2 tunnels!

ted1

we crouched the whole way but you can stretch out ever own and then when you get to the man holes. We were about twelve when we did it so just under twenty years ago :-() So we were a bit smaller.

delta_bravo

ted1 wrote: »

we crouched the whole way but you can stretch out ever own and then when you get to the man holes. We were about twelve when we did it so just under twenty years ago :-() So we were a bit smaller.

Ok. Don't think my 6'3 frame will be venturing in there then

I must try and find out what the purpose of it was. The wardens might know.

Seth Brundle

JackieChan wrote: »

There are 2 tunnels!

Where is the second?

shar01

At the back of old Rathmichael Church & graveyard the hillside has many tunnels and passageways. We used to play up there as kids and I remember a friend almost falling down one hole.

There's a man-made tunnel running from the back of the Big Chimney to Ballycorus - parts were caving in 25 years ago so I'd say it's in a bad state now.

As kids we were told a tunnel ran from the lead mines at Ballycorus down to White Rock in Killiney. From previous posts it sounds like an amalgamation of legends.

Ahh memories

Cookie_Monster

shar01 wrote: »

There's a man-made tunnel running from the back of the Big Chimney to Ballycorus - parts were caving in 25 years ago so I'd say it's in a bad state now.

that one is the exhaust connected to the chimney from the processing plant that was situated further down the hill. I imagine there's quite a lot of nasty toxic residue left from the lead fumes that went through that in there in places

shar01

Cookie_Monster wrote: »

that one is the exhaust connected to the chimney from the processing plant that was situated further down the hill. I imagine there's quite a lot of nasty toxic residue left from the lead fumes that went through that in there in places

Correct! In fact the Chimney used to be taller. It was originally as it is now but the lead residue would fall onto Shankill. The chimney was then built up to carry waste further (on Wales we were told :P)

good logs...

thers one just on the north side of the liffey under a house, and gos back up under O connells steet......

Wrighty82

Pretty interesting stuff, kind of like the old blocked off parts of the London tube. Apparently some entire stations are sitting there just walled off. Speaking of which isn't there supposed to be an partly underground railroad from Heuston to Connelly? I heard it goes through the Pheonix Park and connects with the main railway up near Cabra.

Cathaoirleach

Wrighty82 wrote: »

isn't there supposed to be an partly underground railroad from Heuston to Connelly?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mvgt_02WQv4&feature=player_detailpage#t=43s

enda1

shar01 wrote: »

Correct! In fact the Chimney used to be taller. It was originally as it is now but the lead residue would fall onto Shankill. The chimney was then built up to carry waste further (on Wales we were told :P)

I did a tour up there many years ago. they were saying how every year the tunnel would be cleaned of the lead by sending children up to scrape it off! Apparently there was a lot of lead left lining the tunnel but I'm sure other even more horribly substances too - arsenic springs to mind.

UrbexJunkie

Here are some interesting images of a hidden tunnel out in Dalkey and its up for debate as to what era its from and what it was used for. Anyone have any ideas?



For a long time there has been rumours of tunnels leading to dalkey Island and this explore brings you a little bit further to the truth. Although the tunnel looks like an old sewer with manholes inside it is the perfect height for walking and at the end of the tunnel where it is bricked up there is a cast iron gate with another blocked up section which points straight out to the island. Very interesting


Top-Entrance by InfectiousPhotography, on Flickr


Entrance-1 by InfectiousPhotography, on Flickr


Sealed-Manhole by InfectiousPhotography, on Flickr


Looking-back by InfectiousPhotography, on Flickr


The-Bug by InfectiousPhotography, on Flickr


Manhole by InfectiousPhotography, on Flickr


The-Darkness by InfectiousPhotography, on Flickr


Looking-Back-From-Gate by InfectiousPhotography, on Flickr


Internal_Gates by InfectiousPhotography, on Flickr

Wat Tyler

The tunnel was built to provide public access to a well on the lands

http://maps.osi.ie/publicviewer/#V1,726814,727026,7,9

There's another similar well with access tunnel further along the coast at blackrock.
As for the era,sometime between 1850 and 1900 would probably be accurate.

Wat Tyler

Just looking through your sets on flickr urbex,white rock cave in Killiney was a trial dig for what was hoped would be a fully fledged lead mine.

UrbexJunkie

Thanks Wat that info really helped me get to the bottom of these places.

Cheers Bro

Dodge

Thread was linked elsewhere. Interesting stuff

When I was in school in Inchicore we were told that there was a tunnel from St Michael's school (formerly Richmond Barracks) to nearby Kilmainham Gaol (to transfer prisoners).

Does anybody have any info on this?

wishwashwoo

Hi all here is a bit of northside info for all
There are 2 tunnels that I know of one of them I have been in personally from the bottom of dominick street on the left just before you cross over to the ilac centre there is a tunnel that goes from there right under the ilac and right down to Henry street it's small but a tunnel non the less it goes for about 1200 yards now the other tunnel is a black endless pit that we all know where it is Kildare street it even has its own name wait for it THE DAIL IT'S A HUGH TUNNEL AN ENDLESS HOLE

EI_Flyboy

It has been said that you used to be able to get from one side of Dublin to the other without setting foot above ground going through tunnels and basements and this network was used extensively by the IRA/IRB to evade the British around the times of the rising and afterwards. Many basements have been filled with cement since then breaking up the network.

I used to work in Viking Tiles on the North Strand which is now Let's Eat. In the basement, if it hasn't been filled with cement, there's a bricked up tunnel entrance on the wall nearest the road that would've led under the road to the old cinema. I know there's a tunnel that runs underneath the houses on Charleville avenue so I always presumed that the tunnel in the shop basement was part of it. The Charleville tunnel has been bricked up underneath each house by the owners. Given the direction it runs in, it might go under Ballybough road and along Foster Terrace.

Someone earlier in the thread mentioned tunnels in Swords and Brian Borus' foot prints(the foot prints are supposed to be St. Columbcilles and that the well sprang from them, this is the well that gives Swords it's name). Swords is supposed to be riddled with caves which have long since been filled in or made inaccessible. The piper's cave is the most popular story, supposedly a tunnel from the round tower to the castle. I did go chasing a piper once but that was a different part of Swords.

Years ago there were ruins of an old inn out along the Brackenstown road around about the round-about here!: https://maps.google.com/maps?q=53.458636,-6.253362&hl=en&ll=53.458647,-6.253214&spn=0.001051,0.00284&num=1&t=h&z=19 It was supposed to have a series of smugglers tunnels underneath. Just south of that you can see the big old mill pond at the east end of which is the old mill. There are one or two tunnels there for the water races but nothing really interesting. Incidentally, there's an old quarry a bit to the east of there where an 8 foot skeleton was found, mind you it was minus it's feet when it was measured... It's said in life he'd probably have been close to 10 feet tall.

I also heard of caves/tunnels underneath the Doctor's house closer to the village along the same road: https://maps.google.com/maps?q=53.458636,-6.253362&hl=en&ll=53.456426,-6.225911&spn=0.001051,0.00284&num=1&t=h&z=19 I heard of these from a friend's father who remembered them being found after the ground subsided revealing them when he was a kid, that'd be 60+ years ago.

Donabate and Portrane are also known to be riddled with caves, most famously the Grace Dieu tunnel which I think led to Turvey House. Back before the apartments and golf course were built, the foundation of the old house was still there in the early 1990s. One summer morning I was having a nosey around and found a square hole with a ladder sticking out, being the curious kid I was naturally I investigated! Below was a vaulted cellar with the walls covered with seashells and mirror set into plaster. The cellar was I suppose about 40 to 50 feet in length, 3/4 of the floor was about 4 foot lower and full of water, the far side of which was a doorway blocked with earth spilling through it which looked more like a cave-in rather than being purposely filled. Having been back there in the last couple of years all that's left is the old farm yard and one old walled garden which is now full of mature trees, I couldn't orientate myself properly to find where the house once stood but I'm pretty sure the cellar is long since filled in.

The Pro Cathedral has some pretty decent catacombs underneath it, I've never visited them though. You'd have to have permission from one of the priests to gain access. I dunno about air-raid shelters under O'Connell st. but I do remember the subterranean toilets! Very dirty and very dodgy indeed, the ruin of many a young boy I'm sure... Mary's Abbey? All I know is this house is supposed to be haunted by something not very friendly at all!: https://maps.google.com/maps?q=marys+abbey&hl=en&ll=53.347127,-6.269501&spn=0.000745,0.00142&sll=53.347127,-6.269501&sspn=0.000375,0.00071&t=h&hnear=Mary%27s+Abbey,+Ireland&z=20&layer=c&cbll=53.347127,-6.269501&panoid=SjWThIkm7ahCa2yun3C6gg&cbp=12,32.89,,0,-12.92 So if you believe in that kind of thing, be very careful where you go nosing around...

Well, that's about all I can think of right now!

wishwashwoo

Now here's a strange thing the new luas has started work in the past 3 months. there going around filling in old basements in dominick street. Me being me i just had to have a look.Well the tunnel that goes from the broad stone down to Parnell street is still some what in tacked. So there goes another part of our dublin history. so the future can survive.

ted1

The basements that are being filled in we're originally coal bunkers. They would be a chute from the surface down to pour the coal. Most Georgian houses in Dublin have them.