Bawn

The National Monuments Service's description

On raised ground built into an E-facing slope in undulating terrain. In woodland which obscures the views. There are very good views to NE-E and good S of hills on opposite side of valley but limited to the W by the rise in slope. According to Carrigan (1905, vol. 2, 259) the castle of Killoshulan was forfeited by the Shortalls under Cromwell and ‘Edmund Butler, brother of Lord Galmoy lived here in the 17th century; he was slain at Aughrim in 1691’. Though Carrigan (ibid.) suggests that the circular tower house (KK009-056001-) was too small to be the main castle, it has all the features associated with a tower house and was protected by a bawn (KK009-056002-). Only a length (L int. 37.35m; ext. 38.22m) of bawn wall survives, c. 40m to the ESE of the tower house, running NNE-SSW. The bawn (T 0.85-0.95m; H above int. 2.6m: H above ext. 3m) is constructed of roughly coursed rubble walling including some quite large boulders. There are 3 roughly square put-logs (Wth 0.15m; H 0.2m) through the wall thickness c. 11-15m apart and 1.75-2.1m H above ext. ground level. At the S end the wall (T 0.97m) turns at right angles to run north-westward for c. 10m, though much of this is collapsed and obscured by rubble, up to the S end of a ruinous 19th-century outbuilding. The SE angle of the bawn is 56m from the tower house. The wall, not indicated as a bawn wall, is shown on the 1st (1839) ed. OS 6-inch map running southward from the SE angle of an E-W range of outbuildings. This range of buildings is not indicated on the 1900 revision.
See attached photographs:
KK009-056002-_01 E wall of bawn – interior from S
KK009-056002-_02 E wall of bawn – interior from N

Compiled by: Jean Farrelly

Date of upload: 7 August 2018