Inchagoill, whose name derives from the Irish for "island of the devout foreigner", is best known for its two medieval churches and one of the oldest inscribed stones in Ireland outside of ogham script. The lime kiln sits in quieter company, a remnant of the agricultural and building work that sustained island communities long after the monks had gone.

Lime kilns were once a common feature of the Irish rural landscape. Stone, typically limestone, was burned at high temperatures inside a purpose-built furnace to produce quicklime, which was then used as a mortar in construction, as a soil amendment on acidic farmland, or as a whitewash for walls. On an island like Inchagoill, where all materials and labour had to be brought in or found locally, the presence of a kiln suggests a community with enough permanence and practical ambition to invest in the infrastructure of improvement. Lough Corrib is the second largest lake in Ireland and Inchagoill, sitting roughly in its centre, was inhabited intermittently across many centuries. The kiln likely dates from the post-medieval period, when such structures proliferated across Connacht, though without further detailed recording it is difficult to say more with precision.

Inchagoill is accessible by ferry from Oughterard or Cong, and the crossing itself gives a useful sense of the island's relative isolation. The churches receive most of the attention from visitors, but the island rewards those who take time to walk its full extent.