What is recorded here

Overgrown grass and shadowed riverbank hide a walled ironworks on the east bank of the Sheen River, likely established by Sir William Petty and still working after 1689 under William Orpen. The site may have smelted charcoal into bright metal, feeding forges and tools through Kerry, though no wall or hearth remains visible today. What is left is a drowned shape in the land: a mill race, a river bend, and the memory of heat.

In a largely overgrown area on the E bank of the Sheen River. Sir William Petty, in his unpublished papers, mentions a forge at Gortalinny, south of the river Roughty (Barnard 1982, 4). This is likely to be the remains of the iron-smelting works, consisting of a walled enclosure, which Lewis (1837, vol. 2, 38) noted on the east bank of the river Sheen and whose establishment he credits to Sir William Petty. McCracken (1957, 130) lists a charcoal-burning ironworks in Gortalinny which was established by William Orpen 'after 1689' and this may indicate the continuance of the earlier ironworks into the late 17th century. It is named 'site of Iron Works' on the 1846 OS 6-inch map and an 'Old Mill Race' (L c. 180m) from the Sheen River to the site of the ironworks is also indicated. There are no visible remains of this ironworking site. The above description is derived from the published 'Archaeological Inventory of County Kerry. Volume I: South-West Kerry' (Dublin: Stationery Office, 2009). In certain instances the entries have been revised and updated in the light of recent research. Date of upload: 30 May 2011

This remains an important historical record, but the official description says the monument is no longer visible or has been destroyed. The monument record does not grant public access. Check the route and ask the landowner before entering private land.