Located on the Castlecomer plateau overlooking the Dinin River Valley, Dunmore Cave is the only cave of significance known in south east Ireland.
Described in folklore as \”the mouth of a huge beast with ten thousand teeth above his head and as many under his feet\”. The huge imposing entrance has been known for centuries but has only recently been fully explored. Remains found at Dunmore include Viking coins as well as human remains.
The largest dripstone pillar of the cave Market Cross is over 5m high and 1.3m across. Calcite deposits in the Town Hall chamber are considered to be very pure as indicated by their whiteness.
The caves originally supported a large bat colony but nowadays bats are only found in the remoter recesses of the cave system but bat skeletons encrusted with calcite flowstone have been found in some areas.
Opening Times
March to mid-June: Daily
9.30 to 17.00 Last Tour 16.00
Mid June to mid-September: Daily
9.30 to 18.30 Last Tour 17.00
Mid-September to End October: Daily
9.30 to 17.00 Last Tour 16.00
November to March: Wed – Sun only (incl) 9.30 – 17.00 Last Tour 15.00
Average length of visit 1 hour (All visitors must exit cave before dark)
Contact details
Telephone: 00353 56 776 7726
Fax: 00353 56 776 7302
Email: dunmorecaves@opw.ie
Address:
Dunmore Caves
Castlecomer Road
Co Kilkenny
Ireland
Facilities
- Guided Tours
- Toilets with disabled access
- Car Park
- Coach Park