County: Galway Site name: N59 Maam Cross to Bunnakill Stage (i)b Hand Testing – Bunnakill
Sites and Monuments Record No.: n/a Licence number: E004958
Author: Leo Morahan for TVAS (Ireland) Ltd
Site type: Lime kiln
Period/Dating: —
ITM: E 501913m, N 745427m
Latitude, Longitude (decimal degrees): 53.449777, -9.476694
Test trenching was carried out on behalf of Galway County Council and funded by Transport Infrastructure Ireland in advance of construction of the N59 Maam Cross to Bunnakill Road Project. Four hand-dug test trenches were excavated in a previously known but unprotected lime kiln thought to be associated with a 19th-century cottage. The trenches showed that the kiln, which has an external diameter of 5.3m and is 2.05m deep internally, is built of rough stone walls with a flue and rake-out area on the north-eastern, downslope side.
Analysis of some of the raked-out lime reveals that, although calcareous limestone is a more commonly used stone type for lime kilns, in this case the stone used for lime production was marble from the nearby Lakes Marble Formation.
The record made during the test trenching is considered sufficient and no further archaeological work is recommended.
Ahish, Ballinruan, Crusheen, Co. Clare
