placenamesKilcorney
Cill Choirne
An early caving account records both a local legend and practical investigation beneath the Burren limestone.
The name
These Irish name elements are associated with this record in the Logainm glossary.
An element’s translation is a clue, rather than a complete explanation of the name. Its form and meaning depend on local history and the full Irish name.
Recorded forms
- Cill Choirne · Irish · main form · non-validated name
- Kilcorney · English · main form
Place & story
Horses beneath the hill
E. A. Baker and H. E. Kentish’s 1913 account records stories heard around Kilcorney of wild horses emerging from the cave and roaming the countryside. They also heard a version in which horses still lived underground. These are reports of local storytelling collected during their visit, rather than zoological evidence. Their narrative places the cave opposite the ruined church at Kilcorney Glebe, across ground marked as a seasonally flooded turlough. [2]
Exploring the lower passages
The explorers described using a rope and pulley to reach a lower level after an initial descent, then returning with additional helpers in 1913. They encountered muddy chambers, stalagmite and an underground stream disappearing into a narrow fissure. Earlier visitors’ inscriptions showed that parts of the cave had already been entered. Their account distinguishes practical exploration from the horse legend, while recording the difficulties of investigating the cave’s lower passages. [2]
Geographic information
Sources & further reading
- Logainm.ie — Kilcorney. Place names and geographic record, licensed under CC BY 4.0.
- Cave Exploring in County Clare, Yorkshire Ramblers’ Club Journal1913, volume4 number13 · E. A. Baker and H. E. Kentish
Name record retrieved 2026-10-25 · Source record modified 2021-10-29. How this page was prepared.