Well in Clonmacnoise

A stone-lined well or pit shaft was discovered by Heather King during her excavation (E 0556) of the new graveyard at Clonmacnoise in 1990. Two cuttings were opened in section 1 in the NW quadrant of the graveyard. Cutting 1 (8m x 6m) is located immediately inside the graveyard boundary wall on the W side and cutting 2 (3m x 2.5m) is located to the E of cutting 1 and to the S of the findspot of the ogham stone (OF005-027004-). Both cuttings were excavated down to the natural and were then backfilled. In cutting 1 two corn-drying kilns (OF005-027005/006-) were uncovered during the 1990 excavation. The furnace ends of both of these kilns were damaged by a pit (Wth 3.3m; D 2.6m) which had been dug and was then lined with stone to form a rectangular shaft or pit (Wth 1.34m). The base of the shaft was edged with planks of timber or peat. A number of iron objects was discovered in the base of the pit. (King, H. 1990, 'Preliminary report on the 1990 excavations in the New Graveyard at Clonmacnoise, Co. Offaly') Compiled by: Caimin O'Brien. Date of upload: 23 May 2011