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Went wandering in Monivea Woods today and came across an old ice house
@stancarey Cool! I've never seen this kind of structure or heard the term Ice House in Ireland or in this context before. Is it like a cellar for food storage? Or a shelter?
@deborahrosereeves They're like proto-fridges. My introduction to them was Minette Walters's novel The Ice House, which is centred on one, but I'd never seen one before today! (Somehow I missed the one in Woodstock in Kilkenny when I visited there.) Not sure how common they are in Ireland
@stancarey I love it. It makes sense that they'd exist in Ireland as much as anywhere else - I've just never come across one in my wanderings... I hope what few remain will be protected/preserved as they are.
They'd cut blocks of ice from the pond during winter and put it underground in the ice house to keep it cold at summer. Since it was cold throughout the year they also used it as a fridge to preserve food.
In some parts of the world ice houses were also sometimes used as a pub because it enabled them to provide cold beer at summer.
@stancarey that reminds me of the root cellar my dad made when I was little.
@stancarey Up in the wooded area near Dangan nurseries/the IDA park opposite where the Westwood hotel used to be in Newcastle, there's a sort of man-made cave/bunker, which I suspect may have been a similar sort of a yoke at one point. I'm probably way off though - someone else may have a better idea.. #galway
I vaguely recall an old stone structure near the entrance to the Larch Hill Scout campground in Tibradden that was called the Icehouse, but it's been a while since I was up there.
@stancarey @Sliotar There's definitely one in Lough Key forest park, but it's well advertised.
@FintanH There's a couple of unusual structures up that direction. I don't think I've come across the cave/bunker, though
This house is immune to boulders thrown by giants.