Bawn

The National Monuments Service's description

Situated on a rocky bluff jutting S into Inchiquin Lough. Drawn on both the first (1842) and Cassini (1920) editions of the OS 6-inch map, as part of the complex labelled ‘Inchiquin Castle (in Ruins)’. According to Ua Cróinín and Breen (1997), ‘Inchiquin Castle’ was built in 1459 by Teige an Chomhaid Ó Briain, King of Thomond and became the home of the barons of Inchiquin, an important branch of the O’Brien family.

 

This subrectangular bawn (c. 41m NNE-SSW; max. 21m WNW-ESE) is defined from S-W-N by a cliff (H 3-4m at W) which - at least on the N side of the tower house (CL017-057001-) - was created by quarrying (see Ua Cróinín and Breen 1997). From ENE-S, the bawn is defined by a wall (Wth 0.8-1.2m; H 1.2-4m) running along the top of the cliff (H c. 4m) which drops to the lake from ENE-SSE and to a lake-level shelf (c. 10m E-W; 6m N-S) from SSE-S. The S side of the bawn wall (L 7m; H 4m) appears to be intact and its W end terminates at the SE corner of the 16th/17th-century house (CL017057002-) which occupies the bawn’s W interior. A narrow gap (Wth c. 1m) between the bawn wall and house leads to a ledge which extends W along the S gable of the house. At the E end of the wall’s S side is a cupboard and a fragment of square hood moulding in the inner wall-face. The SE and E side of the bawn wall is lower (H 1.2m). The bawn’s NE corner is not visible, but is probably marked by a sharp turn W of the cliff-edge, in line with the N plinth of the tower house (CL017-057001-) in the NW corner of the bawn. The bawn’s gateway was presumably located between the plinth and cliff, leading to a barely traceable roadway that runs N along the lakeshore, until c. 60m to the N it reaches a narrow pass (Wth 3.5m) between the shore and a rock-face (H c. 3m). As noted, the W interior of the bawn is occupied by a 16th/17th-century house (CL017-057002-). In the NW corner of the bawn are the ruins of an older tower house (CL017-057001-). The rest of the bawn’s generally E-sloping interior is covered in grass and some trees.

 

Compiled by: Gearóid Conroy and Conn Herriott

 

Date of upload: 13-10-2025

References

Ua Cróinín, R. and Breen, M. 1997 The castles and tower-houses of Co. Clare, 6 vols. Unpublished report submitted to the National Monuments Service, Department of Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht, Dublin.