Lime kiln ruins along the Curraheen Public Walk The Curraheen Public Walk offers excellent opportunities to walk along the banks of Curraheen River, one of Cork’s well-known tributaries. Again, this river courses in a zig-zag path across the county following the north- south and east-west alignment of the Variscan folds and faults of the area. However, there is also a geo-historical site here that is related to the limestone.
The ruins that were once an active lime kiln along the Curraheen River.
Limestone is historically a resourceful rock, even in Cork City. Today we see how many significant buildings in the City, such as cathedrals and churches, were built from limestone blocks and bricks. However, it has also been used to produce lime and cement. Lime has been essential in agriculture for regulating soils and as fertiliser for crops, and large ovens called lime kilns would have been scattered around the City for the production of lime. Along the Curraheen, we see one of the best-preserved lime kiln ruins in the City. These impressive structures were built to burn limestone to produce lime. Limestone consists of the chemical compound calcium carbonate, with calcium itself being chemically basic, meaning the opposite of chemically acidic. Thus, acidic soils can be neutralised by adding lime to them. Today, the production of lime is performed in larger plants and thus there is no need for standalone lime kilns. Lime kilns are part of the geological heritage of the City, as they remind us of the economic value the rocks have had. The limestone still has a wide variety of uses due to its chemistry, ubiquity and ornamental value. From once being expansive tropical reefs to now being a rock used by us humans in every setting possible, the limestone is both impressive and resourceful.
31
Powered by FlippingBook