On Tuesday, I got a chance to see the Mitchelstown Caves. http://www.mitchelstowncave.com/
Discovered by accident by a farmer in 1833, the land is still owned by the same family. For some reason no photography is permitted, so check the web site to see a little of what it's like. I learned about curtain stalactites and formations that 'flowed' like a river. Different minerals lend different colours and lots of sparkle. Underground there are 40 species of insects; one tiny, white, blind spider is found nowhere else in the world! Our guide, John, knows every aspect of the underground warren. He and his four brothers used to visit the caves as youngsters and he says he'd never get lost, but others can. Without a light source, you cannot see your hand in front of your face! When his ancestor first explored the cave with two young boys, their candles gave out before they could return to the surface, so they huddled in the pitch black for twelve hours until the boys' father came looking and found them.
Masses have been held down here and occasionally summer concerts are held in one of the larger caverns. I takes a lot of time to set up for the concerts because chairs are placed individually. I guess people can stand for a short mass, but need to sit for a longer concert. Once an event is announced, tickets sell out in a matter of minutes. If you don't manage to secure a ticket, you can try again next year! The acoustics are quite unusual, as you might expect. I sang a few lines of a song just to hear the sound. Stringed instruments do not fare well in the dampness. Violins can only be played if they have been vacuum sealed, and even once they are taken out of their cases, they only last for about 20 minutes before the moisture warps the wood.
It was truly a fascinating morning. Perhaps I'll seek out some other caves; I hear there are some near Ennis, just past Limerick.
Discovered by accident by a farmer in 1833, the land is still owned by the same family. For some reason no photography is permitted, so check the web site to see a little of what it's like. I learned about curtain stalactites and formations that 'flowed' like a river. Different minerals lend different colours and lots of sparkle. Underground there are 40 species of insects; one tiny, white, blind spider is found nowhere else in the world! Our guide, John, knows every aspect of the underground warren. He and his four brothers used to visit the caves as youngsters and he says he'd never get lost, but others can. Without a light source, you cannot see your hand in front of your face! When his ancestor first explored the cave with two young boys, their candles gave out before they could return to the surface, so they huddled in the pitch black for twelve hours until the boys' father came looking and found them.
Masses have been held down here and occasionally summer concerts are held in one of the larger caverns. I takes a lot of time to set up for the concerts because chairs are placed individually. I guess people can stand for a short mass, but need to sit for a longer concert. Once an event is announced, tickets sell out in a matter of minutes. If you don't manage to secure a ticket, you can try again next year! The acoustics are quite unusual, as you might expect. I sang a few lines of a song just to hear the sound. Stringed instruments do not fare well in the dampness. Violins can only be played if they have been vacuum sealed, and even once they are taken out of their cases, they only last for about 20 minutes before the moisture warps the wood.
It was truly a fascinating morning. Perhaps I'll seek out some other caves; I hear there are some near Ennis, just past Limerick.
Comments
Post a Comment