County: Galway Site name: Culleenagh More
Sites and Monuments Record No.: N/A Licence number: E003881
Author: Tori McMorran, Eachtra Archaeological Projects, The Forge, Innishannon, Co. Cork.
Site type: Clamp, limekiln
Period/Dating: —
ITM: E 543616m, N 711100m
Latitude, Longitude (decimal degrees): 53.147427, -8.842852
Phase 2 excavations along the 27.2km of the N18 Oranmore to Gort (Glenbrack to Rathmorrissey) National Road Scheme were commissioned by Galway County Council and the National Roads Authority.
The structure comprised a roughly square subterranean cut revetted with coursed random rubble stone with small angular pinnings. At the base of each wall near the centre-point was a small lintelled opening. The flues were all keyhole-shaped, with a linear straight edged cut and a rounded bowl-shaped end. The south, east and west flues within the wall were covered with stone slab lintels and the walls of the flue were partially stone-lined. The opening in the north wall was slightly larger and of different construction and was probably the entrance. The walls were on average 3.7m long by 1.6m wide and 1.6m high. Clamp kilns comprised the firing of mounds of fuel and crushed limestone, generally in a subterranean pit. The mounds of fuel and pit were covered with layers of sod and the lime left to burn for several days. The resulting residues include under-burned limestone, quicklime powder and over-burned or dead lime.
