We are so excited to have Dr Colin Rynne on board to help us record the mill and gearing and answer some of the questions we've been wondering about for a long time. Dr Rynne is one of Ireland's top experts in industrial archaeology, he's based at University College Cork, and he visited with us at the mill today for an introductory walkabout (about) the mill.
According to Dr Rynne, while the beam inside the shelling mechanism are very old, possibly originating from an earlier mill, he would date to structure to probably the late 18th / early 19th century. He also said that it is officially the only mill in the Republic of Ireland, with wooden gearing. Woo hoo!
He debunked the previous claims by Gavin Bowie (1974 publication) that it was the only mill in Ireland with two wheels powered by two separate watercourses, but he did think it was strange that the building was so long and that there were two waterwheels (as one would normally be sufficient to run several different productions). The masonry at the back seems to reveal a few potential joints, where there isn't enough of an overlap of stones, which could indicate separate structures joined later, or an extension. The stonework also appears to be slightly different from one end to the other.
We are really looking forward to collaborating with Colin and learning all about the archaeological recording and about our mill. With the topographical survey getting done this week (fingers crossed), it looks like we'll have our hands full very soon.
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