Bawn

The National Monuments Service's description

In woodland near the N-foot of Corkscrew Hill. Indicated on both the first edition (1842) and later, Cassini edition (1916) of the OS 6-inch map. A rectangular bawn (32.7m N-S; 23m E-W; H 4m) built of uncoursed limestone rubble. The N and W walls stand to full height (H 4m; T 1.5m) and are surmounted by a parapet (Wth 0.5m) with narrow gun loops. The locations of the E and walls are indicated by intermittent sections of walling and collapsed mounds of rubble. A tower house (CL005-088001-) and the gable end of a late-16th/17th century house (CL005-088002-) are partially built on the N wall of the bawn and steps are built into the inner face of the bawn wall just W of the tower house. The late-16th/17th gable was subsequently incorporated into a modern house.
In 1994, archaeological excavation (Lavelle D. Excavation Licence No. 94E0151; 1994:017; www.excavations.ie) in advance of the modern house’s construction revealed largely disturbed stratigraphy but did uncover the foundations of the S gable wall of the late-16th/17th century house (CL005-088003-), shell, bone and a fragment of a fifteenth century window. The excavator noted that while the tower house was partially built onto the bawn wall, the E end of the late-16th/17th century house’s N gable wall and the N end of the bawn’s E wall appeared to respect one another. Consequently, he suggested that the bawn had been knocked and partially rebuilt prior to the construction of the late-16th/17th century house.

See attached document: CL005-088003-_01: Details from Risteárd Ua Cróinín and Martin Breen, The Castles and Tower-houses of Co. Clare (unpublished report). Uploaded courtesy of R. Ua Cróinín and M. Breen.

Compiled by: Gearóid Conroy and Ros Ó Maoldúin

Date of upload: 24 January 2023