Mining created The Smugglers Cave. It sits along the coastal cliff face just north of Loughshinny Harbour. This dark opening leads into a cave. Locals call it The Smugglers Cave. It got this name because smugglers used it. They rested here with their stolen cargo in the 18th and 19th centuries.
A smaller unnamed sister cave may also exist. It leads into the cliff face just south of Loughshinny harbour. This cave may also have been used as a smuggling store. The Fingal coastline was rife with smugglers during the 18th century. Several were native to Fingal. One such pirate was Jack O’Connor. People nicknamed him Jack the Bachelor. He was buried in Kenure cemetery. You can visit his thatched cottage on Lower Main Street today.
The geology of the Loughshinny coastline is special. It has different layers of sedimentary rock. These layers include limestone and shale. They formed from the deposition of organic materials. This happened around 300 million years ago. Later, tectonic plates moved elsewhere in Ireland. This caused a rippling effect within these soft sedimentary layers. They buckled and folded. You can see the folded chevron shapes today. They are veined with white minerals. Look at the cliff face just south of Loughshinny harbor. It appears to weep rusted red tones. This happens because of fault lines. They occur between the layers of sedimentary stone. The lines allow minerals to form. These minerals include calcite and copper.
A mining investor named Martin O’Connor was attracted by this copper. He opened a mine at Loughshinny in 1760. However he was denied a charter. He wanted to mine coal from the area. He moved on. The mines then changed hands several times. They closed in 1845. They lacked profitability. Mine Road in Loughshinny gets its name from these activities.
Local folklore of Loughshinny tells cautionary tales. These stories warn about entering these caves. One tale says a cave collapse killed one man. Another man died trying to rescue him. Another local story tells of two men. They explored The Smugglers Cave. They hoped to find silver. They got lost and died in the search.
The danger and instability of the caves may extend to areas of land around Loughshinny. A curious local tale is called the ‘Disappearing Ploughman’. It describes a man out ploughing his fields. One day he was suddenly swallowed up by the ground below. Local scholar George Pratt has linked this story to another local account. It’s from 1961. A woman’s garden collapsed in on itself. She was hanging out the washing. Pratt believes both stories are evidence of hidden mineshafts in the Loughshinny area. So, beware when visiting The Smugglers Cave.