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Irish Blue Limestone
Irish Limestone is a distinctive limestone formation dating from the Jurassic period which for many years has been quarried in the Irish counties of Carlow and Kilkenny. Its principal component is a form of calcium carbonate with the chemical formula CaCO3.

Origin

Three hundred and fifty million years ago, the area now known as Western Europe was a shallow tropical sea. There were plants and animals such as corals, crinoids, sea lilies and shellfish, and, as these organisms died, they sank to the seabed, rotted, and left behind their shapes in the forms of fossils. Their exoskeletons gradually crumbled back to their original elements and became stone.

Limestone

The limestone of Kilkenny has a distinctive blue colour, and against it, the fossils show clearly, which is one of the reasons why it is so highly prized. It has been used for thousands of years. It can be found in Neolithic burial chambers, with the marks of the builders’ chisels still distinctive, the earliest signs of craftsmanship. These burial chambers are older than the Pyramids of Giza.

Celtic Crosses

Closer to our own time, the famous Celtic Crosses of Ireland were carved from Irish Blue Limestone, and Kilkenny (where the stone was near the surface and therefore easily accessible) was a favoured source. As Christianity made its way across the islands, replacing or absorbing the older religions, Irish craftsmen took their instructions from the early Christian missionaries but were also careful to avoid any sign of disrespect for their own beliefs. Some of the first crosses bear rivet-shaped carvings, which are said to represent the Celtic Shield. The disc or ring that supports the arms of the cross is probably more practical than symbolic; it is strengthening support for the heavyweight that might otherwise crack, and the skilled craftsmen turned necessity into art by shaping the ring like a halo, or celestial sphere.

Neolithic man cut the stone from the ground with chisels and dragged it to the burial chambers. Early Christians began to develop more sophisticated tools and used horses and wagons to transport the stone to the sacred sites, where the Celtic Crosses, some standing as much as seven metres high, first appeared, to become the earliest symbols of the new religion.

Medieval Ecclesiastical Buildings

In the medieval period, the wealth of Ireland lay in the hands of the Church and the landed aristocracy, who built great abbeys and monasteries such as Jerpoint, Kilree, and Clonmacnoise. The best in materials, art and crafts was demanded, and the limestone of Kilkenny stood high in the esteem of architects and patrons.

Modern Use

Today, leading producers such as McKeon Stone supply Irish Blue Limestone for buildings across Europe and beyond, in the major cities of Netherlands, Britain, and Belgium. Amsterdam’s most prestigious shopping street, C. Hoofstraat, was recently repaved using this stone; it has also been used for a large project in Brussels city centre. The walkway and amphitheatre of the More London development on London’s South Bank also make use of this stone.

Working in Irish Blue Limestone

Modern craftsmen are still skilled in the use of the mallet and chisel, but they are also trained with flame torches, compressed-air chisels, water jet cutters and pneumatic hammers. Whereas Neolithic man could shape and smooth the stone, twenty-first-century stonemasons can also produce a mirror finish in which the fossils appear to swim deep below the surface.

Sculpture

Kilkenny limestone is prized by some of the finest sculptors in the world, as well as in its native Ireland. Brendan McGloin’s famous Triskle Heads are shaped from Kilkenny Limestone, and the Irish National Stud’s famous stallion Invincible Spirit has been immortalized in the stone by Simon Carman. Manon Huguenin, Bojana Križanec, Jennifer Tetlow and Dan Jones, have all produced work using Kilkenny Limestone, and many have worked in the stone yards of McKeon Stone, which supports artists from all over the world by allowing them to work in their yard at Stradbally or their quarry in Threecastles.

Quarrying

Irish Blue Limestone is quarried using explosive charges. Stone blocks fall to the base of the quarry face, where they are sorted. The best slabs are set aside, and from them, the sculptors work to produce today’s art. Other pieces are shaped into blocks, bricks, tiles, kerbs, cladding, work surfaces, steps, the myriad of forms required by architects, builders and contractors, interior designers and others in the building industries. The rubble is used as road stone. There is very little waste.

Environmental Impact

Irish Blue Limestone is a natural product. The carbon footprint involved in its production is smaller than that of artificial stone. For this reason, the architects and designers of projects ranging from the redevelopment of capital city centres to the building of ecologically friendly houses often choose Irish Blue Limestone so that they can meet the demands of socially responsible councils and planners.

External Links

https://geology.com/rocks/limestone.shtml

http://www.askaboutireland.ie/reading-room/environment-geography/physical-landscape/Irelands-physical-landsca/the-formation-of-the-phys/carboniferous-limestone/

— Preceding unsigned comment added by Emarkable IE (talk • contribs) 13:32, 3 September 2019 (UTC)