These structures are found across the island in considerable numbers, yet each one carries the particular silence of something that was never meant to be seen.

A souterrain, to explain the term briefly, is an artificially constructed underground gallery, usually lined and roofed with flat stones, and often connected to a nearby settlement or ringfort. They were built primarily between the seventh and twelfth centuries, and their precise functions remain a matter of debate among archaeologists, though cool, dark storage and a means of escape in times of danger are the most frequently cited purposes. The example at Ashglen is recorded as a monument, placing it among the catalogued archaeological features of the Kilkenny landscape, though the details of its construction, extent, and condition are not presently available in the public record.