County: Westmeath Site name: KILCLOGHAN
Sites and Monuments Record No.: N/A Licence number: A001/023
Author: Liam Mckinstry, 9 Ballantyne Place, Steamboat Quay, Limerick, Co Limerick, for Valerie J. Keeley Ltd.
Site type: Post-medieval limekiln
Period/Dating: —
ITM: E 638159m, N 734548m
Latitude, Longitude (decimal degrees): 53.359765, -7.426735
The excavations at Site 1, Kilcloghan, were carried out in advance of the N6 Kilbeggan–Kinnegad road scheme. The site consisted of a large kiln with associated flue. The flue was dug through the side of the kiln and was excavated upwards at an angle to the surface. The limekiln bowl was circular in shape, with steep sides and a concave base. It had a diameter of 2m and a depth of 1.2m. The flue was 5m long, 0.8m wide and 0.45m in depth. It was orientated north–south, with the kiln and flue being situated on a slightly north-facing slope. The positioning of the feature would have allowed the flue to take advantage of the northerly prevailing winds for an oxygen supply for firing the kiln The fill of the kiln contained a vast amount of burnt limestone and quicklime. The natural into which it was cut had suffered from extreme heat and was, as a consequence, brick red in colour. Around the edge of the kiln were two spreads of burnt limestone waste, presumably dragged straight from the kiln.
