What is recorded here

A rectangular stone chamber sits just above the high water line on Castle Island, its bulbous NE end leaning outward like a furnace throat waiting for heat. The open SW end and fallen slabs suggest a hearth and flue where someone melted metal beside the sea, breathing smoke into the salt air. Tides now creep closer, stealing the structure back one storm at a time.

In rough pasture, just above the high water line on the NW-facing shore of Castle Island in Lough Hyne. A rectangular structure (L 4m NE-SW; Wth 0.77m) comprised of contiguous stone slabs (H up to 0.35m; average H 0.15m). The NE end is expanded in a bulbous fashion (Wth 0.95m) and the slabs lean slightly outwards. The SW end is open and at least one slab has fallen. Two separate larger rectangular slabs lie in the interior: one in a NE-SW direction, the other further to NE lies in a NW-SE direction. The remains are possibly that of a hearth and flue with the capstones removed. A similar structure, which was interpreted as an iron smelting site, was found during the excavation of a hut site at Glannafeen (CO150-047002-) (Ó Cuileanáin 1955, 94-9) c. 650m to the S. High tides are encroaching on the structure and erosion is taking place, especially at the NE end. A cupmarked stone (CO150-079001-) and a possible earthwork (CO150-079003-) lie c. 20m to E and S, respectively. The above description is derived from 'The Archaeological Inventory of County Cork. Volume 5' (Dublin: Stationery Office, 2009). Date of upload: 22 December 2009

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