Ireland Wildlife Wildside Wexford Irish Natural History

Running Gold

Without doubt the Mitchelstown Caves are one of Europe's, if not the world's, most spectacular Karst cave systems. In the autumn of 2008, on one of the wettest days of the year, Don Conroy, Chris Wilson and Alan McGuire visited this stunning location. With Eve Mulcahy as our guide, we head into the bowels of the earth, to hear, see and enjoy how these caves were discovered and how some of these incredible cave formations took place over the millennia. 

Pigs Ears

Tipperary's Gem
Lies beneath the valley floor
Awesome rock structures
Includes dainty Helictites
Mitchelstown's world famous caves (cj 2008)

Helictite formation

Mitchelstown Caves are located in County Tipperary 12 kilometres east of Mitchelstown. The Caves are open all year round with guided tours taking place through several caverns of different types of formations.  These prehistoric caves of stunning beauty and a real scientific interest were discovered in 1833 when a farm labourer – Michael Condon - dropped his crowbar into a crevasse while quarrying limestone. Since that time considerable exploration has taken place and new caverns have been found and opened.  

Stunning formations

Names have been given to many of the caverns and structures such as the House of Commons and the House of Lords. The largest chamber is called Tir Na Nog and measures an incredible 61metres by 49 metres and has a roof 18 metres high. The biggest column is named the Tower of Babel and stands about 9 metres high. 

It might have been one of the wettest days of the year, but down below ground level the caves were at their regular constant temperature of 12.2 degrees Celsius (54 degrees Fahrenheit) with the constant and gentle dripping of the dissolving rainwater percolating through the limestone soil. It takes more than a week for the rainfall to pass through the rock above. As the drops of water evaporate in the air, they form these amazing rock formations with stalactites (from the ceiling downwards), stalagmites (from the floor upwards), helictites (delicate formations defying gravity and 'growing' sideways), calcite columns, and flow stones among examples of the formations to be seen in the caves. 

When one considers that it takes over a thousand years for a stalagmite or stalactite to grow a few centimetres, the formations found in Mitchelstown Caves are, to say the least, decidedly impressive. Also to be seen are 350 million year old fossils and some small living white spiders and springtails that have adapted to cave conditions and the living in this totally dark habitat.  

One of our guides, Stephen Dixon, sang two songs in the caves – just proving how amazing the acoustics are 1 kilometre below ground

Photography is forbidden, though special permission was obtained for the purposes showing listeners images of some of these amazing formations – in no way does photography do these spectacular cave structures any justice what-so-ever.

Our Thanks go to John English, Eve Mulcahy and Stephen Dixon for their help and time with this programme. For more details do please contact John English, Mitchelstown Cave, Burncourt, Cahir, County Tipperary, Tel. +353-52-67246

Related Files: