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Bawn in Castlerea

Bawn
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Bawn in Castlerea
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Why this matters

The Bawn in Castlerea was associated with a 16th-century tower house, likely built by a local Gaelic lord or Anglo-Norman family. It is remembered as part of a defensive enclosure system typical of early modern Ireland, reflecting the strategic and social structures of the time.

What is recorded here

Associated with a tower house (LF019-061001-). The latter is shown roughly in the centre of a subcircular enclosure (c. 75m N-S; c. 70m E-W) on the 1836 edition of the OS 6-inch map. On inspection this proved to be a drainage ditch (Wth 2m; ext. D 0.3m) that diverted water away from the interior of the possible bawn. It survives from SE-S-SW, elsewhere it has been filled in. The possible bawn is rectangular in plan (c. 52m NW-SE; c. 44m NE-SW) and is defined by field boundary walls on the NW (T 0.7m; H 0.6m) and NE (T 1m; H 0.9m) sides. The SE and SW sides have been levelled and only grass-covered wall footings are evident on the SE side, while a scarp (H 0.2m) delimits the SW side. The tower house stands in the NW quadrant of the interior, c. 4.5m to the SE of the NW wall. The gable wall (T c. 1m; H 1.5m) of a rectangular building (11m N-S; 7m E-W), covered in thorn bushes, is visible c. 10m to the NE of the NE wall. It appears to flank the S side of a cobbled roadway which could be the original roadway into the bawn. The building appears to be medieval in date and may be related to some form of gatehouse or forebuilding protecting the entrance into the bawn. This building and roadway are indicated on the 1836 edition OS 6-inch map. Compiled by: Caimin O'Brien Date of upload: 19 June 2012
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