Mitchelstown Cave facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Mitchelstown Cave |
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1905 photo of speleothems in Mitchelstown Cave.
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| Location | Mitchelstown, County Cork |
| Discovery | 1833 |
| Geology | Limestone |
| Access | Show cave access only |
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Mitchelstown Cave is an amazing limestone cave in Ireland. It's also known as New Cave. You can find it near Burncourt, in County Tipperary.
Even though it's close to Mitchelstown, County Cork, the cave is actually in County Tipperary. It's about 12 kilometers (7.5 miles) from Mitchelstown. In 1972, Mitchelstown Cave became the very first cave in Ireland to be opened for people to visit!
This special place is owned by a family. You can take a guided tour to see many amazing underground rooms, called caverns. Inside, you'll see incredible rock formations called speleothems. One famous formation is the Tower of Babel column. The biggest cavern is called Tír na Nóg. It's so big that it has even hosted musical events, like a performance by the Celtic Tenors!
How Mitchelstown Cave Was Found
People in the area knew about another cave nearby for a long time. It was called Old Cave or Desmond Cave. But Mitchelstown Cave, or "New Cave," was found by accident!
On May 3, 1833, a farm worker named Laura Condon discovered it. She was working on a farm when she stumbled upon the entrance. The caves are called Mitchelstown Caves because they are on land that once belonged to the Kingston estate. The owner of the estate, Lord Kingsborough, lived in Mitchelstown Castle.
Exploring the Cave
After its discovery, many people wanted to explore Mitchelstown Cave. In 1834, James Apjohn was the first to map it out. Later, many famous naturalists and speleologists (cave explorers) visited.
In 1857, Alexander Henry Haliday and Edward Percival Wright explored the cave. They wrote down the different animal species they found inside. In 1894, members of nature clubs also visited and reported on the animals living there. A year later, in 1895, Édouard-Alfred Martel and H. Lyster Jameson made a new map of the cave.
In 1908, more explorers, including Robert Lloyd Praeger, thoroughly explored and mapped the cave again. They also mapped the Old Cave at this time.
Making the Cave Ready for Visitors
For many years, visiting the cave was quite an adventure! People had to use special lamps and climb down a rope ladder to get inside.
Jackie English decided to make the cave easier and safer for everyone to visit. He worked for seven years to add electricity and steps inside the cave. This important work was finished in 1972. You can still see the footprints of the two main workers at the bottom of the famous Tower of Babel column!
