Pollnagollum Coolarkan Waterfall
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Pollnagollum–Poulelva (usually referred to as Pollnagollum or Poulnagollum) is an active stream passage
cave Caves or caverns are natural voids under the Earth's Planetary surface, surface. Caves often form by the weathering of rock and often extend deep underground. Exogene caves are smaller openings that extend a relatively short distance undergrou ...
situated in
County Clare County Clare () is a Counties of Ireland, county in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Munster in the Southern Region, Ireland, Southern part of Republic of Ireland, Ireland, bordered on the west by the Atlantic Ocean. Clare County Council ...
,
Ireland Ireland (, ; ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe. Geopolitically, the island is divided between the Republic of Ireland (officially Names of the Irish state, named Irelan ...
.


Description

At over in length, Pollnagollum is the longest cave on the
island of Ireland Ireland (, ; ; Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe. Geopolitically, the island is divided between the Republic of Ireland (officially named Irelanda sovereign state covering five-sixths of th ...
and the third deepest cave in the State. The system primarily consists of winding stream passages which interconnect in various ways, offering a great variety of through trips. The cave is usually entered via the Pollnagollum entrance, with the main streamway encountered a short distance inside. The main streamway continues for most of the length of the cave with several smaller inlets entering along its length. Near the southern end of the cave the Poulelva pot is encountered; the two entrances are often used for through-trips. Much of the water in the cave is fed from the sinks of Upper Pollnagollum, at the point where surface water runs off the shale bedrock and sinks into the permeable limestone. The terminus of the cave is a low bedding plane which eventually becomes too low to progress. The water resurges at the Killaney rising to the south of the cave.


History

The first known exploration of the cave was by T. J. Westropp in 1880, venturing as far as the Main Junction, but it was not until the 20th century that serious exploration began. E. A. Baker undertook the first systematic exploration of the cave in 1912 and returned in 1925. During the 1925 trip, Baker carried out a partial survey. In 1935 the
Yorkshire Ramblers' Club The Yorkshire Ramblers' Club (YRC) was founded in Leeds on 6 October 1892. It is the second-oldest mountaineering club in England (the oldest being the Alpine Club), and the UK's oldest caving club, active in mountaineering and caving in the Unit ...
recorded the first descent of Poulelva. In 1944 the
Royal Irish Academy The Royal Irish Academy (RIA; ), based in Dublin, is an academic body that promotes study in the natural sciences, arts, literature, and social sciences. It is Ireland's premier List of Irish learned societies, learned society and one of its le ...
published a major survey and article by J. C. Coleman and N. J. Dunnington. In 1952 cavers from the RAF discovered Branch Passage Gallery and in 1953 they connected it to the rest of the cave. A full survey was carried out in the 1960s by the University of Bristol Spelaeological Society, by which time of cave had been discovered. The survey has been kept up to date by the society as cavers continue to add to its length to this day. Pollnagollum is one of the most popular and most visited caves in the country for cavers, and is often done as a beginners' trip.


References

{{Authority control Limestone caves Tourist attractions in County Clare Caves of the Republic of Ireland Protected areas of County Clare