Kiln - corn-drying

The National Monuments Service's description

Identified by Avril Hayes during archaeological pre-development testing (License 00E0855) associated with the Limerick Southern Ring Road Project. A cremation pit (LI013-216----) was located approx. 10m to W. Excavated under licence 00E8055 ext. by Avril Hayes (Hayes 2001), the results were summarised as following; ‘Excavation of the larger feature revealed it to be curvilinear, 10m long, 1.1m wide and 0.07m deep. Only the north and east portion survived, but it seemed to enclose a drying kiln to the south and west. The drying kiln was orientated north–south with the drying pit at north. The kiln was 5m long and varied in width from the burning-pit, 1.5m, to the flue, 0.75m. The cut of the kiln was filled with charcoal, and with ash in the flue and the burning-pit. A greyish brown silt filled the drying-pit. Roughly hewn limestones lined the sides of the kiln but they were present only in patches. The lining was heavily disturbed. The curvilinear feature has been interpreted as a possible barn enclosing the kiln.’ (www.excavations.ie 2001; 595 & 796, Hayes 2001).

Compiled by: Martin Fitzpatrick

Date upload: 30 June 2020

References

Hayes, A. 2003 Rathbane South. In I. Bennett (ed.), Excavations 2001: summary accounts of archaeological excavations in Ireland, 243. Bray. Wordwell.

Hayes, A. 2001 Archaeological Excavations at Rathbane South, Co. Limerick. Unpublished report (Licence No. 00E0855), submitted by Aegis Archaeology Ltd. on behalf of Limerick County Council to the National Monuments Service, Dúchas.