Kiln — corn-drying in Lack

Situated on the lower S slopes of Moanlaur, in rough pastureland c. 60m E of a small stream, is a building known locally as An Bácús (the bake-house). It measures 8.5m N-S x 4.8m E-W externally, and is roughly rectangular in plan with a rounded N end; the walls are now no more than 1.1m high. Internally the building is divided into two sections by an E-W cross-wall. The N chamber is circular in plan internally measuring 1.6m in diameter and no more than .7m in height. There is no entrance, but a low flue, .9m long x .4m wide, extends through the cross-wall at ground level. A low step on the S side of the cross-wall is partly obscured by collapse, but if it continued across the opening men this latter would only have been a few cms high. The S section of the building is rectangular in outline and measures 3.2m E-W x 3.6m N-S internally. The entrance may have been either in the E or W walls where 2 opposed sections of the walls stand only 2 courses high. The NE corner is occupied by a small circular corbelled chamber which is intact except for the SW section where the original opening must have been located. The original internal floor level is obscured by collapse but the chamber measures at least .87m in diameter and .65m in height. The outlines of 2 further rectangular structures, or a single structure with an internal division, adjoin the S end of the building, the walls reduced to low bands of stone collapse. Directly S of these again is a large sub-circular spread of loose stones measuring c. 15m in diameter. The above description is derived from J. Cuppage, ‘Corca Dhuibhne. Dingle Peninsula archaeological survey. Ballyferriter. Oidhreacht Chorca Dhuibhne’ (1986), no. 1523. In certain instances the entries have been revised and updated in the light of recent research. Date of upload: 5 August 2013