County: Cork Site name: Coolyhane 4
Sites and Monuments Record No.: N/A Licence number: E004977
Author: John O'Connor, Rubicon Heritage Services Ltd
Site type: Post-medieval/modern kiln
Period/Dating: —
ITM: E 534472m, N 573747m
Latitude, Longitude (decimal degrees): 51.912011, -8.952445
Excavation by Rubicon Heritage Ltd at Coolyhane 4 was undertaken as part of the N22 Baile Bhuirne–Macroom Road Scheme (Lot 3) Archaeological Consultancy Services Contract.
The excavated features consisted of an early modern lime kiln, comprising a charging bowl and draw-hole, with passage and retaining walls; a possible trackway with drainage features and the remnants of a wall. As it is almost impossible to distinguish between draw and flare kilns the site can only be described as a rural ‘field’ kiln. The kiln and trackway were visible on the 6-inch map of 1829-41 but absent from the 25-inch map of 1897-1913.
Radiocarbon dates from a charred barley grain and oak charcoal returned a 2 sigma date of AD 1668–1946 and AD1666–modern respectively, with highest relative probability in the 18th century for both samples. Oak charcoal was the only wood taxa identified in the recovered samples.
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