The souterrain at Labbadish appears on the first edition of the Ordnance Survey 6-inch map, marked simply as ‘Cave’, yet when archaeologists went searching for it, they found no trace of the underground structure. This vanishing act isn’t uncommon with souterrains; these Iron Age and early medieval underground passages were often built with stone and earth, making them vulnerable to collapse, agricultural work, or deliberate filling over the centuries.

Souterrains, from the French for ‘underground’, are found throughout Ireland and were likely used for storage, refuge, or both. The Labbadish example would have been typical of these structures: a series of stone-lined chambers and passages dug into the earth, often with multiple entrances and ventilation shafts. The location beside a stream on level ground at the bottom of a hill suggests this was a carefully chosen spot, perhaps serving a farmstead or small settlement that once stood nearby.

The documentation of this lost souterrain comes from the Archaeological Survey of County Donegal, compiled in 1983 by Brian Lacey and his team of archaeologists. Their comprehensive work catalogued field antiquities from the Mesolithic period through to the 17th century, preserving records of sites like Labbadish that might otherwise be completely forgotten. While the physical structure may be gone, its inclusion in early Ordnance Survey maps and archaeological records ensures that this piece of Donegal’s hidden heritage remains part of the county’s historical narrative.