County: Kilkenny Site name: KELLSGRANGE (AR073)
Sites and Monuments Record No.: N/A Licence number: A032/074; E3576
Author: James Kyle, Irish Archaeological Consultancy Ltd.
Site type: Kiln - corn-drying
Period/Dating: Multi-period
ITM: E 650894m, N 644053m
Latitude, Longitude (decimal degrees): 52.545433, -7.249649
This site was located within the N9/N10 Kilcullen to Waterford road scheme along Contract 2, Phase 4, Knocktopher to Powerstown. An area c. 50m by 30m was stripped and nine possible cereal-drying kilns (averaging 2.43m by 1.41m by 0.46m, ranged 1.07–3.7m by 0.7–1.9m by 0.2–0.72m) along with three post-holes were identified. Of the nine kilns, seven appeared to have a single phase of use and two displayed evidence for multiple uses. One of these contained ten fills, suggesting three phases of activity, and was associated with a circular post-hole, interpreted as being part of a possible windbreak or structure. A similar association was noted at another of the kilns; this kiln contained a possible hone stone and a worked flint flake in its fills. A third kiln contained a fill rich in carbonised seeds.
These features have been interpreted as being most probably of medieval date as a watermill was present on the nearby Kings River during the medieval period, some of the remains of which were still present at the time of excavation on the river bank some 200m to the south of this site. As such the kilns represent the drying of crops prior to milling, which would not have been viable with wet grains. It is unclear at present, however, if the kilns are all contemporary or if the site was reused over several generations or years; certainly based on the current evidence it is tempting to suggest that at least some of the features on the site were used repeatedly by the same individuals.
120B Greenpark Road, Bray, Wicklow
