What is recorded here

Inishcaltra is a small island off County Clare where a copper furnace once burned inside the graveyard of St. Brigid’s church. De Paor excavated the pit in 1970-72 and found an ovoid clay structure marked by copper splashes and intense heat. The furnace stood west of the church doorway, turning a sacred place into a workshop where metal, fire and belief shared the same ground.

Situated to the W of the doorway of St. Brigid’s church (CL029-009006-) and within the surrounding enclosure/graveyard (CL029-099007-). Excavation by de Paor in 1970-72 (E000180) revealed a copper worker’s furnace in the form of a pit in which an ovoid structure of clay had been constructed. This structure bore small splashes of copper and traces of intense heat. (de Paor 1997, 55-6; 2013, 33) Compiled by: Mary Tunney Date of upload: 3 November 2015

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