What is recorded here

Bawn in Kerinstown and Balrowan (rowley) stands on a gentle south-facing ridge in County Westmeath, where a grass-covered mound and one stubborn corner of mortar still mark the castle that vanished into pasture. The broad rectangular enclosure stretched around it like a forgotten room, large enough to hold carts, herds or frightened people when shadow crossed the valley. That much has gone, but the corner remains, blunt and unbroken, proving the place was built to resist time as much as invasion.

On a relatively gentle S-facing slope, just off the summit of a ridge, in pasture with extensive views to SE, S and SW. Depicted on the revised 1913 ed. OS 25-inch map as a long, rectangular-shaped structure, annotated ‘Castle (in ruins)’. Monument described in 1988 as a grass-covered oblong-shaped mound of earth and masonry with irregular edges. There are no exposed cut or dressed stones or any other type of architectural fragments visible. There is a vertical lump of in-situ mortar bonded masonry representing the SW angle of the castle (WM020-117----). Oblique aerial photograph (CUCAP BDK018) taken 14/07/1970 shows the asonry remains standing in corner of large rectangular enclosure which probably represents the remains of a bawn (approx. dims. 60m N-S x 100m E-W). Linear feature (approx. L 100m) visible on Digital Globe aerial photography may represent S boundary of bawn wall which is located 60m S of upstanding castle masonry remains. A possible sunken way was recorded to the SE of the castle and was described as sunken linear feature (Wth 6-8m; max. D 0.15m). This linear feature may form part of the E enclosing element of the castle bawn. Compiled by Alison McQueen, Vera Rahilly and Caimin O’Brien. Date of upload: 08 July 2019

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