Ballymaglancy Cave

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Ballymaglancy Cave

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← Previous revision Revision as of 10:03, 22 April 2026
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==Location==
==Location==
The Ballymaglancy Cave [[Special Area of Conservation]] (or SAC) is located in the townland of ''Baile Mhic Fhlannchaidh'' in County Galway, approximately 3 km west of the town of [[Cong, County Mayo]], close to the county border.{{Cite web |title=Statutory Instrument No. 242/2016 - European Union Habitats (Ballymaglancy Cave, Cong Special Area of Conservation 000474) Regulations 2016 |url= https://www.irishstatutebook.ie/eli/2016/si/242/made/en |access-date=26 August 2024 |website=irishstatutebook.ie/ |archive-date=26 August 2024 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20240826171001/https://www.irishstatutebook.ie/eli/2016/si/242/made/en |url-status=live }} The designated site is 9.3 ha in size.
The Ballymaglancy Cave [[Special Area of Conservation]] (or SAC) is located in the [[townland]] of ''Baile Mhic Fhlannchaidh'' in County Galway, approximately 3 km west of the town of [[Cong, County Mayo]], close to the county border.{{Cite web |title=Statutory Instrument No. 242/2016 - European Union Habitats (Ballymaglancy Cave, Cong Special Area of Conservation 000474) Regulations 2016 |url= https://www.irishstatutebook.ie/eli/2016/si/242/made/en |access-date=26 August 2024 |website=irishstatutebook.ie/ |archive-date=26 August 2024 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20240826171001/https://www.irishstatutebook.ie/eli/2016/si/242/made/en |url-status=live }} The designated site is 9.3 ha in size.


===Placename===
===Placename===
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The [[National Parks and Wildlife Service (Ireland)|National Parks and Wildlife Service]] site synopsis document for the site describes the cave entrance as 2 m high and 3 m wide. The cave widens inside the entrance and opens to several routes which subsequently converge to a single route. A number of geological formations or [[speleothems]] can be seen near the entrance, including Carboniferous colonial coral in the floor and a roof collapse with examples of [[rimstone]] or gour pools (a type of [[rimstone]] structure. Further into the cave, the cave stream can be seen to descend in steps. There are several other speleotherms in the cave, including curtains. This is considered to be “an excellent and fairly extensive (>500 m) example of a natural limestone cave”.
The [[National Parks and Wildlife Service (Ireland)|National Parks and Wildlife Service]] site synopsis document for the site describes the cave entrance as 2 m high and 3 m wide. The cave widens inside the entrance and opens to several routes which subsequently converge to a single route. A number of geological formations or [[speleothems]] can be seen near the entrance, including Carboniferous colonial coral in the floor and a roof collapse with examples of [[rimstone]] or gour pools (a type of [[rimstone]] structure. Further into the cave, the cave stream can be seen to descend in steps. There are several other speleotherms in the cave, including curtains. This is considered to be “an excellent and fairly extensive (>500 m) example of a natural limestone cave”.


The Ballymaglancy Cave may be less prone to flooding than some other caves in the area, but does flood to the cave roof on occasion and thus, entry in wet weather is to be avoided. The cave is on private land and permission must be requested for access to this site. In a description of a cave visit by experts for a University of Bristol Spelaeological Society survey from 2012, Hadfield (2013) notes Ballynaglancy cave is 726m in length and 11m in depth.{{Cite journal |last1=Hadfield |first1=Simon |journal=Proceedings of the University of Bristol Spelaeological Society | date=2013 |title= Cave notes: County Mayo, Ireland |url=https://ubss.org.uk/resources/proceedings/vol26/UBSS_Proc_26_1_101-104.pdf |access-date=21 August 2024|volume=26 |issue=1 |pages=101–104 |archive-date=21 August 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240821222641/https://ubss.org.uk/resources/proceedings/vol26/UBSS_Proc_26_1_101-104.pdf |url-status=live}} Tracing of the cave stream showed that it rises near the village of Cong and flows through the nearby caves of Pollpuisin, Pigeon Hole, Wolves’ Hole and pseudo-Priests Hole.
The Ballymaglancy Cave may be less prone to flooding than some other caves in the area, but does flood to the cave roof on occasion and thus, entry in wet weather is to be avoided. The cave is on private land and permission must be requested for access to this site. In a description of a cave visit by experts for a [[University of Bristol]] Spelaeological Society survey from 2012, Hadfield (2013) notes Ballynaglancy cave is 726m in length and 11m in depth.{{Cite journal |last1=Hadfield |first1=Simon |journal=Proceedings of the University of Bristol Spelaeological Society | date=2013 |title= Cave notes: County Mayo, Ireland |url=https://ubss.org.uk/resources/proceedings/vol26/UBSS_Proc_26_1_101-104.pdf |access-date=21 August 2024|volume=26 |issue=1 |pages=101–104 |archive-date=21 August 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240821222641/https://ubss.org.uk/resources/proceedings/vol26/UBSS_Proc_26_1_101-104.pdf |url-status=live}} Tracing of the cave stream showed that it rises near the village of Cong and flows through the nearby caves of Pollpuisin, Pigeon Hole, Wolves’ Hole and pseudo-Priests Hole.


The cave stream deepens and forms a waterfall of 3 metres at a point within the cave. Further into the cave, calcite flows and wall cascades of flowstone or dripstone can be seen. In 1951, exploration of the cave was carried out by J. C. Coleman and N. J. Dunnington, and several of the cave structures are described. “The vertical limestone walls are curiously fretted into a series of almost, interlocking fragments of rock which jut out as spurs, and shelves, in places completely across the fissure…I have not seen this formation in any other Irish cave so far. It appears to be a solutional phenomenon; differential erosion, due to variations of rock purity and the presence of chert might account for the fretwork. To a limited extent it occurs downstream in the cave.” {{Cite journal |last1=Coleman |first1=J. C.| journal=Irish Geographical Society |date=1955 |title= Caves in the Cong area of Galway and Mayo|volume=3 |issue=2 |pages=94–106 |doi=10.1080/00750775509555493 |doi-access=free }}
The cave stream deepens and forms a waterfall of 3 metres at a point within the cave. Further into the cave, calcite flows and wall cascades of flowstone or dripstone can be seen. In 1951, exploration of the cave was carried out by J. C. Coleman and N. J. Dunnington, and several of the cave structures are described. “The vertical limestone walls are curiously fretted into a series of almost, interlocking fragments of rock which jut out as spurs, and shelves, in places completely across the fissure…I have not seen this formation in any other Irish cave so far. It appears to be a solutional phenomenon; differential erosion, due to variations of rock purity and the presence of chert might account for the fretwork. To a limited extent it occurs downstream in the cave.” {{Cite journal |last1=Coleman |first1=J. C.| journal=Irish Geographical Society |date=1955 |title= Caves in the Cong area of Galway and Mayo|volume=3 |issue=2 |pages=94–106 |doi=10.1080/00750775509555493 |doi-access=free }}
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===Conservation threats===
===Conservation threats===
The Biodiversity Information System for Europe (BISE) (created by the [[European Environment Agency]]) notes the threats, pressures and activities likely to have an effect on this site. Threats and pressures noted include outdoor sports and leisure activities, recreational activities (high risk) and Speleology (medium risk), while activities listed as likely to impact the site include grazing (medium risk).{{Cite web |title=Threats, pressures and activities |url=https://biodiversity.europa.eu/sites/natura2000/IE0000474 |access-date=26 September 2024 |website=biodiversity.europa.eu |archive-date=26 September 2024 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20240926185821/https://biodiversity.europa.eu/sites/natura2000/IE0000474 |url-status=live }}
The Biodiversity Information System for Europe (BISE) (created by the [[European Environment Agency]]) notes the threats, pressures and activities likely to have an effect on this site. Threats and pressures noted include outdoor sports and leisure activities, recreational activities (high risk) and [[Speleology]] (medium risk), while activities listed as likely to impact the site include grazing (medium risk).{{Cite web |title=Threats, pressures and activities |url=https://biodiversity.europa.eu/sites/natura2000/IE0000474 |access-date=26 September 2024 |website=biodiversity.europa.eu |archive-date=26 September 2024 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20240926185821/https://biodiversity.europa.eu/sites/natura2000/IE0000474 |url-status=live }}


==Culture==
==Culture==
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