It is the kind of industrial structure that most people drive past without a second glance, yet it represents a technology that was central to Irish farming and construction for centuries. Lime kilns were used to burn limestone at high temperatures, producing quicklime that could be spread on acidic fields to improve soil fertility, or slaked with water to make mortar and whitewash. This one is a well-preserved example, with an arched recess in the front face measuring roughly one and a half metres high, two and a half metres wide, and two and a half metres deep, where the burnt lime would have been raked out once firing was complete.

The structure follows a fairly typical design for a rural Irish kiln. A ramp to the north-west would have allowed carts or workers to bring limestone and fuel, usually turf or wood, up to the top of the kiln and load it from above, while the arched opening at the base gave access for drawing out the finished product. A buttress on the south side of the front wall reinforces the structure, which makes sense given the pressures exerted by repeated heating and the weight of the material being fired. Building against a natural slope was a common practical choice, reducing the amount of masonry needed to support the loading ramp and making the whole operation easier to manage with the labour and tools available at the time.