Bawn

The National Monuments Service's description

This rectangular bawn (47m N-S; 32m E-W) is associated with a tower house (GA097-084001-) which is incorporated into its E side. Its S half was artificially raised by c. 0.5m to make a level interior, thus creating a shallow platform appearance (Cody 1989, 357). When inspected in May 1983 only fragmentary traces of the enclosing wall survived. It was best preserved at SW (H 5-6m; Wth 0.6m) where the remains of a ruined building were incorporated into it. Substantial lengths of walling were visible along its W side but its E side and most of the N and S sides survived only as a grassed-over stony bank (Wth 2m; H 0.5-1m). Extending from the SW corner the S wall survived for a length of 17m, varying in height from 0.2m to 1.7m. More than half of it was incorporated into a later shed that was constructed on its line. Along the W side, N of the building in the SW corner, two 15m stretches of wall ranged in height from 0.5m to 2m. To the N of these a similar length was ruined almost to ground level. Between that and the NW corner two short lengths both 2m high survived. On the N side only a 3m length of wall, c. 5m from the NW corner survived. The E end of this stretch marked a wall end that was probably one side of an entranceway into the bawn. Here the wall was 1.5m thick. Within the bawn, as noted above, the SW corner appeared to have been incorporated into a rectangular building (c. 5m N-S; 2.6m E-W). Its E wall (Wth 0.65m) was ruined to ground level and there was no visible surface trace of the N wall. An offset at a height of c. 4m in the S and W walls probably carried a floor of which there was no trace. Two opes in both the S wall and W walls lit the upper room. Two other lengths of grass-covered walling running from the W wall to the interior of the bawn may be the remains of other buildings. In September 1995 it was noted that the surviving walling at the NW corner had been destroyed (Connolly 1995, 7). Aerial imagery http://map.geohive.ie/ last accessed 5 September) shows that by 2000 most of the S wall had been levelled.

Compiled by: Olive Alcock

Date of upload: 5 September 2018

This monument is subject to a preservation order made under the National Monuments Acts 1930 to 2014 (PO no. 2/1995).

References

Cody, E. 1989 An archaeological survey of the barony of Athenry, Co. Galway. Unpublished MA thesis, University College Galway.

Connolly, A. 1995 Archaeological report on the destruction of earthworks in Clougharevaun townland, Kiltullagh, Co. Galway. Archaeological Services Unit, University College Galway. Unpublished report, National Monuments Service, Department of Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht.