The central recess, where fuel and limestone would once have been loaded and the burnt lime later drawn out, has caved in, leaving an opening roughly 1.4 metres high and 1.6 metres wide. Limekilns were the workhorses of the 19th-century Irish agricultural landscape, used to burn limestone at high temperatures and produce quicklime, which farmers spread on acidic soils to improve fertility. Most were built close to where they were needed, which is why so many are found tucked beside farm tracks or field boundaries rather than in any prominent position.

This one dates from the mid to late 19th century, a period when lime burning was at its most widespread across Kerry and the wider country, driven partly by improving tenant farming practices and partly by the demands of a landscape that had been under considerable pressure for generations. The structure's modest scale is typical of the rural single-draw kilns built for local, seasonal use rather than commercial production. By the early 20th century, the trade in processed agricultural lime had largely displaced these small operations, and many kilns fell into disrepair. This one in Knockataggle More followed that familiar trajectory, collapsing inward and being gradually absorbed by the surrounding growth.