Cave north Clogga Arklow

fred funk }{

I've passed this man made cave a few times and I always wondered where it went and what was the history behind it. It's in the small headland that separates Clogga south beach and the north beach that leads up to Roadstones quarry. It's on the Roadstone side of the headland. I think the next time I'm out walking that way I'll bring my torch and go in for a look.

slowburner

More than likely a copper mine. I think it is known as the Priest's gate. Exploring these disused mines is a very risky business and something you should think carefully about before going in.
One of the problems is that the stagings (timber supports) have usually been taken for firewood etc. so there is no guarantee against collapse. Also there is the possibility of noxious gasses.
There might also be legal issues - you might need a license. You should probably contact the Mining Heritage Trust of Ireland before going ahead. They might have background info.

fred funk }{

I know feck all about mines but the entrance seems very narrow for a mine. I presume when mining some sort of cart/trolly would be used to remove the core to the outside.

You don't happen to have any links related to it slowerburner?

slowburner

fred funk }{ wrote: »

I know feck all about mines but the entrance seems very narrow for a mine. I presume when mining some sort of cart/trolly would be used to remove the core to the outside.

You don't happen to have any links related to it slowerburner?

You know more than me so
No it's definitely a mine. This area is full of them.
They were hard men back in those days, most of the ore was carried out in special narrow wheelbarrows. And there would have been a wooden platform up to the entrance. You can see how a platform was cut just below the entrance as a resting place for the platform.
Chances are this mine is early enough. No electricity or engines to do the drilling, so any excavation of the rock was done with hand drills and picks and therefore kept to a minimum - that's why the entrance is narrow. Inside they would have blasted the rock. Chances are it widens out inside as the miners followed the lode.
I have found no links relating to the Clogga site unfortunately, but I do have a dim recollection of a mention of it in some 19thC texts.
Very interesting site though. Did you notice how the primary excavation is massive i.e. how they had to remove a huge amount of rock to get to the face where the entrance is? It would be interesting to have a look at the beach under the shaft entrance (outside it) to see if there are remnants of the ore (spoil) or shattered rock from the initial blasting. This would tell you as much about what was going on as going inside - and with more safety.
By the way, that rusty looking stuff is what they were after.

fred funk }{

Interesting stuff slowburner. I think there might be some loose rocks around the entrance alright but I'm not sure, I'll check the next time im down that way and ill take a few more pics.

Access to that entrance is tide dependent but maybe it was different back then with how the coast line changes etc.

slowburner

I'd say you are spot on about differences in sea level. There's evidence of the rising levels all over this seaboard.

fred funk }{

A few more pictures. Where the orange colouration is in the rock, I presume that's the copper?

I just noticed my dog cocking his leg in the last picture

slowburner

Thanks for the great pics FF.
The rusty looking stuff is what the miners were following - i think it's chalcopyrite. The yellower stuff which you can see rising from the beach up to the right of the main entrance is pyrite. They could also have been after iron - that was mined around here until the 1760's.
There's an interesting looking 'arch' on the face to the right of the entrance, did you see any pick marks around it?
You can see plenty of broken stone from the mine below the landslide. There might well have been another entrance which has become buried under the rubble. All in all, it looks as if it is in a pretty dangerous state - the face directly above appears to have sheared off recently. The problem with these shafts is the yellow stuff, it is very soft and prone to erosion once exposed to the air. It might look solid enough on the outside, but inside could be a very different story. It's amazing that it hasn't been blocked up like many around here.
A team who explore abandoned mines will be visiting here in the next few weeks. I'll mention this one to them, if they think it's worth investigating I'll post pics afterwards.

Here's a pic I took of the interior a similar mine. It is in a state of imminent collapse.

fred funk }{

Do you think that 'arch' is where they tried to excavate first and couldn't because it was too tough? The next time I'm down there I'll check it for pick marks and take a few more pictures

Regarding it being not blocked up, it's difficult enough to get to as you have to walk through Roadstone to get to it or from the other direction from Clogga beach but there needs to be an extremely low tide to be able to get around the headland, maybe that's why. But in saying that, if you look at one of the pictures you'll see where someone has piled some rocks up so they can climb up to the entrance so obviously people are going into it.

Thanks for the info slowburner, it's very interesting.

slowburner

These are fascinating parts of our heritage alright. I just hope that this particular one doesn't suffer from the wrong sort of visitor. I wonder if someone has been digging over the entrance or is natural erosion?I'm looking forward to seeing it for myself.
Cheers FF

slowburner

fred funk }{ wrote: »

Do you think that 'arch' is where they tried to excavate first and couldn't because it was too tough? The next time I'm down there I'll check it for pick marks and take a few more pictures

Regarding it being not blocked up, it's difficult enough to get to as you have to walk through Roadstone to get to it or from the other direction from Clogga beach but there needs to be an extremely low tide to be able to get around the headland, maybe that's why. But in saying that, if you look at one of the pictures you'll see where someone has piled some rocks up so they can climb up to the entrance so obviously people are going into it.

Thanks for the info slowburner, it's very interesting.

No, I'd guess that they didn't go any further at the arch because it wasn't a lode of the stuff they were after. Might be worth your while to have a close look at the pile of rubble to the right of the entrance - there might just be another opening. Have a look at your second pic - at the extreme right hand side there is a piece of grey rock face about 6 feet up, under it looks as though there might be something going back underneath. I'll bet that the area filled in by the landslide was worked.
By the way the proper term for the cave is a 'level' or 'adit'. the entrance should properly be called an 'adit portal'. (just learned these terms lately )

Carawaystick

That's the smuggler's cave, and the beach is the Cuddy Hudge.
It only goes back about 30 feet.

I don't know if it was used for smuggling or mining, I'd say it was more likely smuggling, but there are a fair few amethysts to be found around the rock so there' s a slim chance of gold.

The 'ra brought a load of arms ashore on Clogga back in the '80s but were caught, so I'd imagine the cuddy hudge back in the day was fairly secluded to smuggle contraband

suevic

Hope I don't burst the bubble here as I love the idea of pirates, smugglers etc, but I believe the purpose of this cave was to get samples for the manufacture of certain types of paint. Copper, iron oxide etc.

Toyotafanboi

Old thread but a cool topic. I was in that tunnel myself years ago and it's bricked up a few meters in. The rumour i heard was that it traveled back to Glenart Castle, but in hindsight this seems much more far fetched now than it did when i was a bit younger. Lovely part of the world all the same.

Aenaes

Toyotafanboi wrote: »

The rumour i heard was that it traveled back to Glenart Castle, but in hindsight this seems much more far fetched now than it did when i was a bit younger.

There's always been a rumour Glenart did have some sort of escape tunnel.

caycro

Explored that cave as a young skinny kid a long time ago. No depth to it I'm afraid. Around that headland there are also some core samples taken from the rocks with more modern tools. There were lots of alien probe stories whispered by parents on night-time beach walks ala Tales of the Unexpected !!

suevic

The glenart cave is about 400m from the castle, 200m from the vale road. Take the pathway through the forest from the vale road until you get to the small bridge and go down the bank, its just there. Whether or not theres a tunnel to the castle I'll leave to legend.