This archaeological site uncovered at Rathbane South in Limerick consisted of five isolated pits and one structure.

A ‘token’ cremation deposit was recovered from one of the isolated pits. This adult cremation consisted of long bone fragments with some skull vault fragments and one finger bone. This pit was to the east of the main concentration of activity on the site, and is probably associated with a nearby Late Bronze Age barrow, or burial mound.

The main concentration of activity centered around the foundation trench of a hut which partially enclosed a corn-drying kiln. A keyhole shaped drying kiln was located inside this curvilinear foundation trench.

This 5m long kiln was cut into the natural subsoil and bedrock. It consisted of an elliptical drying pit at north 2m in width, which was joined to a stoking /burning pit at south by a 3m long flue. The burning pit was 1.50m wide. The kiln itself was stone-lined. Stones in the drying pit were heavily disturbed. The kiln sloped gently upwards towards the drying pit at north. The basal fills of the kiln consisted of the fill of the drying pit and the burnt layer of the burning pit extending the length of the flue. A baffle stone, which would have functioned to protect the grain in the drying pit from the flames absent from the entrance to the drying pit, nor did any lintels from the roof of the flue survive. It appears that the stone lining of the kiln was removed when the kiln had fallen into disuse.

The drying kiln and slot trench appeared to be contemporary, and it seems likely that the curvilinear slot trench represented a structure enclosing the kiln, possibly a barn. The enclosing structure was likely to have been stone built, given the absence of postholes in the foundation trench and the hazards involved in lighting a fire in a wooden structure.

On the basis of similar sites uncovered, for example the corn drying kiln at Ballysimon, a date in the Medieval period is suggested for this site.