School: Meath Hill (roll number 7166)
- Location:
- Meath Hill, Co. Meath
- Teacher: Patrick J. Connolly
Archival Reference
The Schools’ Collection, Volume 0712, Page 176
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- XML “A Lime-Kiln”
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- Long ago lime was very much used in Ireland as a fertilizer for the land. Lime is used for many different purposes. It is used for white-washing, putty is also made from it and it is mixed with sand to make mortar. In years gone by most farmers had lime-kilns of their own and that is why we often see old ruins of kilns in different parts of the country. Lime stone is found in large quantities in some parts of the country. It is found in large rocks. It is then quarried but by means of powder. Then the stones are broken into smaller pieces and it is sent on a cart to the kiln where it is burned with another substance called culm. The lime-kiln that is in Barley-Hill is said to be the best kiln in this part of the country. It is situated in the middle of lime stone. It holds one hundred and fifty barrels of lime and it takes three days before it is burned to lime. A lime-kiln is a fairly large building and it is made from stone. It is square on the outside and a circular inside. The lime that is burned in it is very white and clean. Life in a lime-kiln is not very healthy and sometimes the workers are suffocated.
- Collector
- Mary Byrne
- Gender
- Female
