Kiln - lime, Ballyhinch, Co. Clare

Co. Clare |

Kilns

Kiln – lime, Ballyhinch, Co. Clare

On a south-south-east-facing slope at Ballyhinch in County Clare, a small rectangular structure sits half-swallowed by soil, grass, and fern.

Only a single course of stones remains visible along its southern and eastern sides, and there is a gap of roughly 0.8 metres on the south-south-east face that may once have served as a draw hole or stoke hole. What gives this modest ruin its particular interest is a scatter of blackened stones along its northern interior wall, the kind of fire-staining that points towards its likely original purpose.

A lime kiln was a simple but essential piece of rural infrastructure. Limestone was packed into the kiln along with fuel, usually turf or coal, and burned at high temperatures to produce quicklime. Farmers spread the resulting lime across acidic boggy soils to improve fertility, and builders used it to make mortar and whitewash. The structure at Ballyhinch is small, measuring roughly 1.8 metres internally from west-south-west to east-north-east and 1.5 metres in the perpendicular direction, which suggests a modest, probably farm-scale operation rather than any kind of commercial enterprise. The remaining stonework sits on what appears to be a deliberately levelled platform on the slope, a common practical arrangement that allowed easier loading from above and raking of the burned lime from below. The blackening on the northern stones is the closest thing to a signature the kiln has left behind, a faint record of repeated intense heat.

Rated 0 out of 5

Visitor Notes

Review type for post source and places source type not found
Added by
Picture of Pete F
Pete F
IrishHistory.com is passionate about helping people discover and connect with the rich stories of their local communities.
Please use the form below to submit any photos you may have of Kiln – lime, Ballyhinch, Co. Clare. We're happy to take any suggested edits you may have too. Please be advised it will take us some time to get to these submissions. Thank you.
Name
Email
Message
Upload images/documents
Maximum file size: 50 MB
If you'd like to add an image or a PDF please do it here.

Advertisement