Furnace in Dunboyne

Archaeological centre-line testing (04E0489) by R. O’Hara of Testing Area 5 of Contract 1 prior to the construction of the M3 motorway identified archaeological features (excavations.ie: 2004:1191) that were fully excavated (E003034) by the same archaeologist as Dunboyne 2 in August/September 2005. The features were deeply truncated by medieval quarrying, and tree-bowls, possibly from a prehistoric clearance, were also present. Two parallel NW-SE drains c. 1.5m apart run through the excavated area and contained both medieval and post-medieval artefacts. Numerous small finds, including flint and chert flakes, the base of a stone mortar, and an iron arrowhead were retrieved from the ploughsoil. A circular structure, two corn-drying kilns, and evidence of metal-working was recorded. Two Ironworking bowl-furnaces were c. 32 and c. 37m ENE of the structure. A small furnace bottom (diam. 0.25m; D 0.08m) was c. 5m E of a large furnace (diam. 1m; D 0.1m). Both had oxidised bases and were filled with loose black/grey clays with hazel charcoal and metal waste. A date cannot be ascribed to them. (O’Hara 2009, 5) Compiled by: Michael Moore Date of upload: 3 November 2021