Fossil Stone from Kilkenny Limestone
Fossil Stone is a selection of Irish Kilkenny Limestone cut from a single rare stratum where oyster and coral fossils appear in exceptional density. The fossils are around 340 million years old, dating from the Carboniferous period. Extracted at our Carlow and Kilkenny quarries and finished in-house, Fossil Stone is supplied as paving, tiles, slabs and custom formats for interior and exterior projects.
Indoor flooring & Stairs in Fossil Stone - Dundee (SC)
Wall Cladding - Duinbergen (BE)
Patio
Stairs - Cliffs of Moher (IE)
Wall Cladding - Riverlight Battersea London (UK)
Indoor and Outdoor Flooring - Urban Sciences Building, Newcastle University (UK)
Façade Cladding - Redcar Seafront (UK)
Wall Cladding and Outdoor Tiling - Dublin (IE)
Kerbs and Walls - Redcar (UK)
Indoor Flooring
Indoor Flooring - Trim (IE)
Paving - Bristol Business School (UK)
Paving - Moneypenny HQ, Wrexham (UK)
Indoor Flooring
Countertop
A rare stratum, carefully selected
Not every block from the Kilkenny and Carlow quarries qualifies as Fossil Stone. The fossil-rich stratum is thin and not continuously present, which means every block is assessed individually. Blocks that meet the density and distribution criteria are set aside for this range. Sawing and surface processing are carried out at our own production sites, so fossil visibility is controlled from extraction through to the finished slab or tile.
Finishes and how fossils appear
The surface treatment determines how strongly the fossils read against the background stone. Fossil Stone is available in standard paving formats (60/30, 60/40, 60/60 cm), setts (30/8/8 and 40/8/8 cm), square formats (15/15/5 and 20/20/5 cm) and custom-cut slabs. Typical applications include interior flooring tiles, worktops, wall cladding, facades and exterior paving.
Flamed Fossil Std. Paving
60/30/2-3 cm
Flamed & Sawn mix
30/8/8 cm - 40/8/8 cm
Hammered Fossil
30/8/8 cm - 40/8/8 cm
Hammered & Sawn mix
30/8/8 cm - 40/8/8 cm
Stone Washed
15/15/5 cm
Stone Washed
24/8/5 cm
Split Fossil
30/8/8 cm - 40/8/8 cm
Tumbled
15/15/5 cm
Our quarries
The material is extracted exclusively from two Irish sites:
James Walshe Quarry & Production Centre
12.5 hectare site near Old Leighlin and Leighlinbridge
Kilkenny Limestone and Fossil Stone varieties
Annual gross extraction: 21,000 m³
Production hub for Irish and international markets
Located in Paulstown, Co. Kilkenny
29.5 hectare site
Kilkenny Limestone and Fossil Stone varieties
Annual gross extraction: 25,000 m³
Production hub for Irish Blue Limestone slabs and paving for Irish and European markets
Kilkenny Limestone formed during the Age of the Crinoids, around 340 million years ago, when Ireland lay beneath a shallow tropical sea. Sediment, shell debris and marine organisms accumulated and compacted into limestone. The fossil stratum selected for this range captures a moment when oyster and coral populations were dense enough to leave the imprints now visible in the finished stone.