Binder's Cove Souterrain Finnis Dromara. ( Bring a strong flashlight and wear strong hats or better still cycling helmets and good gloves and old jeans) The name comes from the French. 'Sous' meaning under and 'terrain' meaning earth. This has to be a very strong contender for best preserved in Ireland and longest souterrains in Ulster! This Binder Cove souterrain dates from early Christian times around the 9th century. It is well under an hour's journey out of Belfast. It is close to Dromara and closer still to the small village of Finnis in the shadow of Slieve Croob. It is easily found because of road signage and a well defined pathway leading right up to the entrance. Once inside switch on the solar powered lighting. This is s very well preserved souterrain. It should be completely dry, no muddy floor. The floor has a loose gravel covering. During the winter months the tunnels may be flooded so the gate is locked.The key may be obtained from O'Hare's garage on the B7 Rathfriland Road, near Finnis/Massford. This souterrain, near the settlement of Finnis, and just down the road from the impressive Legananny portal tomb, was rediscovered in the early eighteenth century. It was originally referred to simply as the “Finnis Cave,” but was also known by the name of the nearby peak, Slieve-na-Boley. The site took its modern name from a previous owner of the field (“Binder”) and a corruption of the English and Irish words for “cave.” Binder’s Cove has a short entrance passage, 2 m (6.5 ft) long, with only a meter (3.3 ft) of height, with a low lintel stone at the end that might break the head of an intruder rushing into the dark tunnel. After that constriction, the main passage at Binder’s Cove is about 30 m (98.5 ft) in length, with two side passages that are each about 6 m (20 ft) long. The main passages have about 1.5 m (5 ft) of headroom, and are about 1 m (3.3 ft) wide. Further Finnis Souterrain, is a securely built underground structure made up of three passages. The main passage runs from east to west for approximately 29m. It is made of granite, with large stones near the base giving way to smaller stones, creating an inward batter or curve. The main passage sidewalls are characterised by an outward stepping of the top most wall course, which provides a platform or ledge onto which the massive roof lintel stones were set. Two side passages extend from the central passageway in a north easterly direction, and there are low lintels at the entrance of each of these chambers. The chambers are both around 6m in length. In the first side passage, the constricted entrance is formed by large lintels. A roof aperture above these lintels possibly provided a vantage place for someone to hide and surprise an unwelcome intruder. Finnis Souterrain is known locally as ‘Binder’s Cove’. According to Mark Clinton, souterrains were commonly referred to as ‘an uamh’ or cave. He also states that the given price for building a souterrain was two cows. ‘Binder’ was the nickname given to a previous occupier of the souterrain field. Souterrains date from the early Christian period, between the sixth and tenth centuries AD. This was a period of civil unrest, with the constant threat of Viking raids, intertribal cattle raids, and regular theft of slaves. Although there is some debate about the purpose of souterrains, it is thought that they were built mainly as places of refuge, but were used for storage on a day to day basis. Finnis Souterrain would have made a useful cool store in the summer. The present entrance to the souterrain is not the original access point, the location of which is not known. Archaeologists think that the main passage continued beyond the present entrance. A report in the Northern Whig in 1836 refers to stone steps leading down to the souterrain, but these have never been found. It is not known when the present entrance to the site was made. Finnis Souterrain has been known for at least 200 years, but has been ‘rediscovered’ many times.

This is the Murland Family Mausoleum sittind at the back of Clough Non-Subscribing Presbyterian Church, Castlewellan Road, Clough, County Down just aross the road from Frenchies Restaurant. Here we have a finely carved crypt built in the neoclassical/baroque style with pedimented gable end topped by urns. It has a stone pitched roof with steps leading down below ground to a metal door. Above a rounded recessed opening with metal grill with an archway is decorated in rusticated style. The gable walls support a low pediment adorned with acanthus ( flower ) and scrollwork detail. Giant order of consoles flanked by flambeau ( torches ) support a cornice. The roofline boasts acroteria, ( -An acroterion or acroterium or akroteria is an architectural ornament placed on a flat pedestal called the acroter or plinth, and mounted at the apex or corner of the pediment of a building in the classical style ), antefixae (-An antefix, from Latin antefigere, to fasten before, is a vertical block which terminates the covering tiles of a tiled roof ) and draped urn finials.There are marble plaques inserted along the tomb sides and a granite plinth. The stone is buff-pink sandstone with the primary stone being Giffnock sandstone imported from Glasgow.The secondary stone type is Newry granodiorite. The inserts are marble. The draped urns on the roof of the building were -common in Victorian cemeteries. They symbolise a separation between the living and the dead and a protective shroud for the soul. They are a classically inspired symbol of death. This then is no ordinary tomb. The Murlands were at pains to emphasis that they were no ordinary family. Their mausoleum dominates the graveyard and is very out of keeping with the more humble graveheadstones from the period. No expense has been spared here and no detail neglected in the construction. The Murland family were the linen industry in this South Down region and that this mausoleum was built in 1860. A lot of the very interesting Murland family story can be found detailed in the 2008 book titled 'Departed Warriors -the Story of a Family in War' by Jerry Murland. 'Departed Warrirs Takes the reader from the shores of Britain with the first volunteer army to leave for South Africa to fight in the Second Boer War, and to the battlefronts of the Great War of 1914-18. This work offers an account of two generations of a family who fought for their country and the impact it had upon their lives.' Jerry Murland served in the Parachute Regiment. He is the author of Departed Warriors and Aristocrats Go To War (Pen and Sword Military). He is a prolific writer of military books dealing with WW1 and WW2. He lives near Coventry.