Furnace

The National Monuments Service's description

The site was excavated by Emer Dennehy (02E0574) during monitoring of topsoil-stripping along Section 3 of the Bord Gáis Éireann Pipeline to the West, from Goatisland, Co. Limerick, to Gort, Co. Galway. It was c. 200m south of a local road connecting Finniterstown and Kiltenan South, in an area of low-lying, flat pasture.
The site comprised a bowl furnace and an oval burnt pit. The bowl furnace was subcircular, measuring 0.51m east-west by 0.4m, and was 0.25m deep. It contained three fills. The basal fill of charcoal-rich clay was the remains of the lower firing layer of the furnace and contained large amounts of slag. The upper two layers of brown clay contained little charcoal and had large pieces of slag that protruded from the basal charcoal layer, indicating that these layers had filled in naturally after site use. It seems that after the final use of the furnace the upper charcoal layer and resulting bloomery iron were removed and the site was abandoned, filling naturally. The natural around the surface of the feature was deep red where the heat from the furnace had oxidised the surrounding clay. The oval feature measured 0.96m by 0.38m by 0.08m deep and had a single, brown, silty fill. This also contained slag. This second pit had no evidence of in situ burning and little charcoal. It may have functioned as a debris pit/fine-working pit in tandem with smelting activity.
The above description is posted on the web at the following internet address: http://www.excavations.ie/ (accessed 22 August 2012).

Compiled by: Denis Power

Date of upload: 22 August 2012