What is recorded here

In 2002 a low hillock in County Kildare gave up three mysterious burning pits just before a quarry could erase them. They looked like corn-drying kilns at first, yet they refused to show the flues that true kilns need. The fire is real, the purpose is not, leaving a small hole in the ground where human certainty goes to smoulder.

In 2002, archaeological monitoring (Licence No. 02E0404) took place in advance of a proposed quarry development. Three features uncovered near a low hillock, the highest point of a low gravel ridge, in an area measuring 40m in diameter, were interpreted as possible corn-drying kilns and were subsequently archaeologically excavated (Licence No. 02E0450). However, no flues were identified, and, although the features were associated with in situ burning, they could not be classified as corn-drying kilns. (www.excavations.ie) Compiled by: Gearóid Conroy Date of upload: 10 June 2011

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