Tower in Rockvale

At the N end of a NNE-SSW oriented rocky ridge (L c. 40m), overlooking a generally flat low-lying semi-karstic area and Lough Bunny c. 320m to the S. A modern E-W road is immediately to the N. Indicated as an E-W polygon enclosing ‘Cloondooan Castle (in ruins)’ on the 1842 ed. of the OS 6-inch map, and hachured as a N-S subrectangular area on the 1897 OS 25-inch plan and the 1920 ed. of the OS 6-inch map. This mostly tree-covered and overgrown bawn is not clearly defined. Cloondooan tower house (CL011-007003-) appears to lie at the N edge of the bawn, although Ua Cróinín and Breen (1997) described having seen earthworks immediately to the N, suggesting to them that the modern E-W road cuts through the bawn. The remains of a circular stone tower (diam. c. 4m; H 1.5m) to the SE of the tower house and named ‘Tower’ on the OS maps may demarcate the S extent of the bawn.

At the N end of a NNE-SSW oriented rocky ridge (L c. 40m), overlooking a generally flat low-lying semi-karstic area and Lough Bunny c. 320m to the S. A modern E-W road is immediately to the N. Indicated as an E-W polygon enclosing ‘Cloondooan Castle (in ruins)’ on the 1842 ed. of the OS 6-inch map, and hachured as a N-S subrectangular area on the 1897 OS 25-inch plan and the 1920 ed. of the OS 6-inch map. This…