Updated February 2025–Do underground attractions fascinate you?
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While every country has its fair share of them, many tourists are completely unaware of these attractions that are often hidden away in plain sight.
Here are 9 cool underground attractions in Ireland that you may not have known about, including ways to see them.
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1. The Aillwee Cave Experience
The Aillwee Cave, which also houses a Birds of Prey Centre in County Clare, is a cave system that lies in the heart of the Burren, a Special Area of Conservation.
The caves, cut into the side of a mountain, consist of over a kilometer (0.62 miles) of passageways that also include an underground river and a waterfall, as well as large stalactites and stalagmites.
There is evidence that bears – now extinct in Ireland – made their home in these dark caverns of the earth.
Bear fossils have been found in the Ailwee Cave as well as in other caves around Ireland.
The cave was discovered in 1944 by a local farmer, whose dog happened to enter the cave while following a rabbit.
The farmer did not explore the cave. Nor did he tell anyone about it until 1973, when cavers in the area asked about it.
It was officially explored and opened up to visitors in 1976 when the bones of two brown bears were found there.
Today, the Ailwee Cave is considered Ireland’s premier show cave.
A 30-minute guided tour of the cave will allow you to see the cave in all its glory, including its beautiful waterfall.
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2. The Doolin Cave
The Doolin Cave, also located in the Burren, contains one of the world’s longest known free-hanging stalactites at a reported 7.3 meters (24 feet) in length.
The other two are located in caves in Mexico and in Lebanon.
The stalactite at Doolin Cave was formed from a single drop of water over the span of thousands of years.
It was first discovered in 1952 by members of an English caving club who were visiting the area.
In 2016, the cave was opened as a tourist attraction.
A nearby nature trail takes visitors to the original cave entrance. Along the way, you will see a variety of farm animals, including rare breeds of cattle, pygmy goats, and Jacob sheep.
You’ll also get magnificent views of the surrounding Doolin and Burren landscape, as well as the ruins of Ballinalacken Castle, a tower house built in the 15th or early 16th centuries.
The caves are open daily from January through October.
Take a guided tour of Doolin Cave.
3. The Marble Arch Caves
Considered one of Europe’s finest show caves, the Marble Arch Caves near Florencecourt, County Fermanagh, consists of a series of natural limestone caves that were formed from three rivers draining off the nearby slopes of the Cuilcagh Mountain.
On a tour of the caves, you’ll not only see the amazing subterranean rivers, winding passages, and lofty chambers that are part of this 7-mile (11.5 km) cave system, you’ll also learn about the early explorers in 1895 who dared go into the darkness.
The caves are part of an amazing UNESCO global geopark that was formed millions of years ago and has resulted in a natural environment that is rich with valleys, lakes, and drumlins.
The uplands portion of the geopark includes a forest, blanket bog, and a karst landscape that formed the caves.
Sixty-minute guided tours of the caves are scheduled throughout the day.
Tours begin at the visitor center. Admission to the various tours at the Marble Arch Caves can be found here.
Be sure to arrive 30 minutes prior to the tour start time. They must be booked online beforehand.
4. Crag Cave
Crag Cave, located in County Kerry, is the 10th longest cave on the island of Ireland.
The existence of the ancient fossil cave system was known as far back as 1859 but it was not formally discovered by cave explorers until 1983.
The entire cave system, which includes a maze of carved tunnels and chambers, as well as stalactites and stalagmites runs under the town of Castleisland.
It was opened up as a show cave in the late 1980s by Donal and Margaret Geaney on whose land the cave was first discovered.
Guided tours last for about half an hour and include an exploration of the cave’s many chambers, including the Cathedral and the Crystal Gallery.
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Many of its features are named after locations or characters from J.R.R. Tolkien’s novel, Middle Earth.
5. The Arigna Mining Experience
Quiet country roads, rolling pastures, and bogland are familiar scenes in Co. Roscommon, but did you know that there was once a thriving mining community there?
Accompany an ex-miner on a 45-minute tour in The Arigna Mining Experience, which will give you an insight into a miner’s life.
The tour also recounts 400 years of mining history in the area.
During the 19th and 20th centuries, the mine provided a much-needed income for local men, who would have otherwise emigrated to England or America.
Experience the dripping water, the intense darkness, and the cramped areas that the miners worked in, conditions that lasted well into the middle of the 20th century, and then come away amazed by the work that these hardy men endured under the most difficult of circumstances.
In addition to the mining tour, be sure to stop by the visitor center.
You’ll be equally impressed by the magnificent views of the area’s deep valleys and lakes, including Lough Allen and The Iron Mountain.
9. Dunmore Cave
If you find yourself in the city of Kilkenny, why not take the 12-minute drive to Dunmore Cave, a Heritage Ireland attraction that contains a series of limestone chambers that were formed millions of years ago.
The cave was first mentioned in a 9th-century script called the Triads of Ireland, where it was referred to as one of the darkest places in Ireland.
It was also referenced in the famous Annals of the Four Masters, telling the story of how Viking leader Guthfrith of Ivar massacred 1,000 people in the caves in the year 928 AD.
Archaeologists have found human remains in the caves, suggesting that such an event could have taken place.
If you have mobility issues, you may not want to enter the cave as there are 700 steps to navigate.
Guided tours at the show caves are available.
Have you visited any of the above underground attractions on the island of Ireland? Let me know in the comments below.
I’ve been absent for a while, but now I remember why I used to love this website. Thank you, I’ll try and check back more frequently. How frequently you update your website?
If I’m not too busy with other things, once a week. Trying to stick to that plan at least anyway. Thanks for the support!