19th century ice houses to be preserved

Two large 19th century ice-houses that once served both the Blackwater salmon trade and a royal household are to be preserved thanks to a collaboration between a local authority and a tidy towns group in the south east.

The overgrown, circular structures are built into the hillside on the R666 Lismore-Fermoy road close to Lismore Castle.

They have both separate access and a common porch entrance where connecting air-tight doors lead to the ice chambers.