23rd July 2011, 10:32 PM
An interesting looking site that you have there. I've never excavated a glass furnace and have no experience in Irish archaeology, so I'm probably not the best person to comment on this one! I was wondering if you were sure of your interpretation that the structures "obviously relate to some sort of manufacturing/processing activity"? Could it be a small ?'tailed' ring cairn instead of a building/furnace. From the photos the general form of the structure looks 'cairn-like' with a possible central cist in the interior. I take it there is no evidence for burial/funeral rite, but I would not see this as a problem as 'empty' cairns and cists are not unknown. I'm sure I've seen reports of cairns that have evidence of burning as well.
From the photos and description to me it looks more like a small ring cairn with a cist to me, perhaps of Late Neolithic or Early Bronze Age date? If so it would be interesting to see if there is any evidence for pre-cairn activity (post holes/pits, etc underneath the structure as they can sometimes have earlier activity/phases associated with them). I'd be interested in seeing what this one turns into if you have time to post any updates.
From the photos and description to me it looks more like a small ring cairn with a cist to me, perhaps of Late Neolithic or Early Bronze Age date? If so it would be interesting to see if there is any evidence for pre-cairn activity (post holes/pits, etc underneath the structure as they can sometimes have earlier activity/phases associated with them). I'd be interested in seeing what this one turns into if you have time to post any updates.