Furnace

The National Monuments Service's description

In pasture, at the base of the valley, on the S side of the River Shannon. Not depicted on OS historic mapping. A fording point (LI001-001----) is located c. 60m to NE. Identified during archaeological testing (License No. 01E0319) which consisted of an advanced topsoil strip, within the way-leave corridor for the Castleconnell Sewerage Scheme (McCutcheon 2001). The feature was excavated (License No. 01E0319 ext.) in Area C (Series 1000/1000) and represented a disturbed keyhole-shaped bowl furnace (diam. 0.8m) C68, with a flue (L1.79m; Wth 0.41m; D 0.1m) entering from SSE and a less defined flue (L 3.1m; Wth 1.52m; D 0.18m) at W (Collins 2001, 65). Traces of in-situ burning were recorded on the base and sides of the flue but not in the bowl (ibid). The fill C67, was a loose greyish brown silty clay which contained frequent flecks of charcoal and stones, a piece of chert and a clay pipe stem (ibid). The way-leave and spoil-heaps were also inspected for artefacts. Several axe fragments were retrieved in this exercise, as well as most of the worked chert and flint (71 fragments of flint and 116 of chert were recovered). Artefact analysis and dating are in progress. There is no visible surface expression of the monument on Digital Globe aerial photography.

Compiled by: Alison McQueen and Vera Rahilly

Date of upload: 18 June 2020

References

Stevens, P. 1999 Proposed sewage scheme Castleconnell, Co. Limerick preliminary archaeological appraisal. Unpublished report by M. Gowen & Co. Ltd. for planning purposes.

Gowen, M. 1998 Proposed sewage scheme Castleconnell, Co. Limerick Preliminary archaeological appraisal. Unpublished report for planning purposes.

Collins, T. 2001 Archaeological excavation (License No 01E0319 ext.) at Hermitage, Castleconnell, Co. Limerick. Unpublished report for planning purposes submitted to National Monuments Service, Dúchas.

McCutcheon, S. 2001 Archaeological testing at Hermitage, County Limerick, as aprt of The Castleconnell Sewerage Scheme for Limerick County Council. 01E0319. Unpublished report submitted to the National Monuments Service, Duchas, Dublin.