The Lime kilns of St Mullins

The Lime Kilns of St Mullins No 26

Did you ever wonder what those funny little stone bee hive like structures were by the side of the river or up back lanes? It is said quietly by locals in St Mullins that The Mullichains built the kilns to melt their gold when making their magical gold coins but they didn’t mind the locals using the kilns to make lime.

Lime Kilns have been used in Ireland from the time of the Celts to turn limestone into powder. Lime had a lot of uses such as a fertilizer; lime mortar for building and disinfectant to keep away disease. The farmers spread the lime dust on the fields as a fertiliser and to break up the soil and sweeten the grass. The Normans were the real lads for making use of lime for Building. They used lime mortar to build their towers and castles, that’s why the French lad’s buildings are still standing. Lime mortar didn’t crack like cement as it is constantly resetting itself, a living breathing substance. The Ancient Egyptians were the first to use lime mortar and weren’t they the smart lads when it came to building Pyramids. 

Lime made buildings were waterproof, Lime killed off infection and made the thatched cottages look nice and bright. Whatever was going on in Carlow there are Lime Kilns up every back lane and boreen (small winding lane) especially in the parish of St Mullins, maybe they were smoking it? Lime is great for killing off ants and crawling insects and slugs. When Chickens are laying, they love a bit of lime to harden up their egg shells and its a great man for rooting cabbage plants.

My Uncle Jim had a small thatched cottage with the bare essentials of furniture and little or no possessions I remember the two chairs and the table out in the yard so he could lime wash the whole inside of the house to disinfect it for the coming year as they dreaded getting Tuberculosis which had been rampant in Ireland. 

The Lime Kiln was built shaped like an egg with a big chamber in the middle, a hole at the bottom to light the fire, leave in the air and take out the lime that’s called the eye. They would fill the chamber from the top with layers of wood and turf or coal whatever they had that would burn and then layers of lime stones as big as your fist. A bit of flint set the fire going, it would take about four days to fully burn and all that time some poor young fellow had to keep an eye that the fire kept burning day and night. Walk up the Barrow River from St Mullins until you hear the roar of the weir and there on your right-hand side is a lime kiln, I wonder is your man still keeping guard on the flame?

Lime has many uses

o to prevent foot rot in livestock (often found in heaps at field gates)

o as a medicine

o for removing the hair from hides in leather making

o in cesspits

o slug and snail repellent

o killing ants and other unwanted insects

o as a frost protection for stored potatoes or ‘slits’

o to disinfect walls

o to deter disease on fruit trees

o as a worm drench for pigs

o as rooting powder for cabbage plants

o given to poultry that were producing eggs to strengthen the egg-shells