That is not a metaphor. A souterrain, which is an underground passage or chamber typically built during the early medieval period and associated with nearby ringforts, was uncovered here during ploughing in the 1990s, its existence confirmed by a local communication from John Cronin. It was recorded, its dimensions noted, and then the field moved on.

The chamber is earth-cut rather than stone-built throughout, measuring roughly 2.8 metres north to south, 1.8 metres wide, and about 1.5 metres high. A stone-built wall, 1.6 metres wide and 0.9 metres high, was visible at the northern end of the chamber. It sits within what may be a rath, the Irish term for a ringfort, a circular earthwork enclosure commonly used as a farmstead during the early medieval period. Such enclosures frequently contained souterrains, which are thought to have served as storage spaces, places of refuge, or both. When the site was revisited in July 2005, a corn crop covered the field and access was not possible. Viewed from higher ground, the crop showed no differential growth pattern, the kind of variation in plant colour or height that sometimes betrays buried features below the soil. The souterrain gave nothing away.