A turlough, for those unfamiliar, is a type of disappearing lake found in limestone karst landscapes, flooding in winter and drying out through summer. It is an unusual setting for metalworking, and the site at Ballykeoghan might have passed entirely unnoticed had roadworks not intervened.

The site came to light in 2006 during excavations carried out ahead of the N9/N10 Kilcullen to Waterford road scheme. Stripping back the soil revealed deposits of anvil residue and charcoal-rich earth, three large shallow pits, and a scatter of stake-holes that together suggest the footprint of a smithy. A small earth-built structure, roughly 2.5 metres by 3.5 metres, was identified, with several small hearths positioned outside its walls. Radiocarbon dating of the material produced two distinct date ranges: one falling between 1471 and 1665, the other a narrower window of 1785 to 1792. This points to either two separate phases of activity on the same spot, or at least two episodes of burning separated by more than a century, suggesting the location was returned to and used again long after its initial occupation.