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by Andy McInroy

Chapter 4 The Stalactite Cave of Larrybane Beneath the limestone cliffs of Larrybane there is a very unusual sea cave. It is unusual because it is located some 7 metres above the high water line. This relict sea cave was formed some time after the ice age when the sea levels were much higher than they are today. Its position above the reach of the destructive power of the sea has allowed some wonderful karst features to develop including some fine pillars, stalactites and stalagmites. The cave was first surveyed by a geologist named Martel in 1897 and photographed on the inside by the famous local photographer, R.J.Welch, sometime in the 1890s. I have now been able to source his old photograph from the Ulster Museum Picture Library. As you read further and compare the two photographs it is worth bearing in mind that, before my own visit, I had no idea that this old photograph even existed. Stalactite Cave of Larrybane by Robert J. Welch c1890 Photograph reproduced courtesy the Trustees of National Museums Northern Ireland Visit the National Museums of Northern Ireland webpage After photographing some massive caverns during the course of this project, I was not put off by the reports indicating a depth of only a few meters. As it turned out, the geological interest and wonderful outlook more than compensated. The Stalactite Cave is located in the middle of Larrybane bay, not far from the popular Carrick-a-Rede rope bridge. I visited this curious cave on a fine March afternoon and after a short scramble over the jumbled boulders around the cliff base, the cave mouth came into view. It looked very mysterious from the outside and I almost expected some goblin to jump out at me from its grotto. Something did jump out at me, but thankfully it was just some startled pigeons. Inside the dripping interior I was treated to a wonderful display of rock architecture. In addition to the huge stalactites and stalagmites at the entrance, I discovered more delicate versions within as well as curious tufa ridges on the walls. I set my tripod up towards the back of the cave and switched to a super wide angle lens to cover as much of the entrance as I could. I also decided to use the rock opening as a natural frame for Sheep Island in the distance. Again, a series of exposures were chosen from 1/60th second through to 4 seconds to capture the huge range of contrast within the cave. 5P4 © Andy McInroy By comparing the two photographs you can see that Robert Welch and I chose to stand in the same spot and to take practically the same photograph. This would have been a minor irritation to me but for the fact that we were separated by 118 years and could hardly have got in each others way. What is incredible is the fact that the stalactites have hardly changed yet the march of technology in that time has allowed me to capture the whole scene in a new crystal clarity. I am pleased that this new photograph ties in so well with my other cave photographs. It is modest in size yet it is perhaps the most intricate of the photos to date. It really shows the variety of geology on offer in these caverns of Antrim and the huge range of natural processes that have gone into making them. Next Chapter All photos © Andy McInroy