A lime kiln, once an essential piece of farm infrastructure across Ireland, sits largely consumed by overgrowth, its top and rear now inaccessible. That it survives at all, and in the dimensions recorded, makes it a quietly significant remnant of an agricultural practice that shaped the Irish landscape for centuries.

Lime kilns were used to convert limestone into quicklime through intense burning, producing a material that could be spread on acidic soils to improve fertility, or used in the making of mortar. The Knockanarroor example is a solid structure: the east-facing front wall stands 3.4 metres high and 4.4 metres wide, built in random rubble, the rough uncoursed stonework typical of vernacular construction. Set into it is an arched recess roughly 1.3 metres high and 1.7 metres wide, which would have served as the draw arch, the opening at the base through which the finished lime was raked out after firing. Behind this, an inner horizontal arch with sloping slabs to the rear provided structural support for the bowl above, where limestone and fuel were loaded and burned. The south-facing slope would have been a practical choice, offering both drainage and some shelter from prevailing winds during the burning process.