Bawn

The National Monuments Service's description

Enclosing Teervicbran Castle, a tower house (CL017-110----), on a raised rock outcrop ridge (H c. 20m over E-SE; H 3m over W), at the E-foot of Clifden Hill, with Lough Teervicbran (a.k.a. ‘Molly Blood’s Lough’ - Macnamara 1901, 205) c. 85m to the SE and the early 19th-century ‘Adelphi House’ (NIAH reg. no. 20401712) c. 75m to the NE. Partly indicated on both the first (1842) and Cassini (1920) editions of the OS 6-inch map. This sub-triangular bawn (L 55m NE-SW; max. Wth 20m NW-SE) is defined by a collapsed and robbed-out wall which is entirely overlaid by a crenellated modern wall (probably 19th century) with a pointed gateway at the NE end. This gateway leads to a masonry wall-lined pathway (Wth 1.5m) on a very narrow outcrop ridge with severe drops on either side but there is no indication that this path was part of the original access to the bawn. The bawn entrance is at the SE, from where a ramp through the rock outcrop leads out of the bawn, to a ledge (Wth 3m) that runs SW and then NW around and c. 3m below the rock outcrop. This ledge extends NW as far as a lane which runs outside the bawn’s NW wall. The bawn interior comprises tree-covered rock outcrop and the tower house (CL017-110----) is situated against the bawn’s W side, with a rubble mound (c. 12m NE-SW; H 2-3m) immediately to the NE. Nineteenth-century paths run around the edges of the bawn near this mound. 

 

Compiled by: Gearóid Conroy and Conn Herriott

 

Date of upload: 16-10-2025

References

Macnamara, G.U. 1901 Inchiquin, County Clare (Concluded). Journal of the Royal Society of Antiquaries of Ireland 31, 341-64.