Bawn

The National Monuments Service's description

On slightly elevated site at E side of Glenlahan valley in the Slieve Bloom mountains. Site of seveteenth century house (LA002-018001-) and bawn situated on slightly elevated ground close to E bank of Glenlahan river. Bridge (LA002-018002-) to the W of the house and bawn which crosses the river, gives access to the house and may be early 17th century and contemporary with it. All that remains is the W wall of bawn which has three simple splayed gun opes and square mural towers at NW angle and off centre to S along W wall of the bawn. This wall survives approx. 2.5m high above external ground surface. House (LA002-018001-) forms E side of bawn, partial remains of N wall of bawn surviving on average 1.5m high and which in places has been rebuilt in the nineteenth century, partial remains of the S wall of the bawn that are now incorporated into a field boundary. The bawn wall is constructed with roughly coursed sandstone rubble with no base batter visible. The bawn encloses a large rectangular area (int. dims. E-W 63m; N-S 47m; wall T 0.65m) with later 19th century buildings orientated N-S running across centre of the bawn. This later farm building runs S off the inner face of the N wall of the bawn. At this junction there may have been a square gun tower protruding N beyond the face of the N wall of the bawn. A 19th century single storey 5 bay farmhouse orientated on a N -S axis stands on top of a seventeenth century house (LA002-018001-) which is contemporary with the bawn wall. The square gun tower (int. dims. 2.31m x 2.47m; wall T 0.65m) located off centre to S on the W wall is best preserved and provides flanking fire along external face of W wall. Of the NW angle tower only the W wall survives. Both towers posessed gun loops which provided flanking fire along external face of W wall of bawn. The towers protruded 1m beyond outer face of W wall of bawn. Distance between NW and SW tower measures 26.9m. Later gap (Wth 2.62m) knocked through W wall of bawn located off centre to N. Possible original gateway protruding beyond external face of N wall located off centre to W near NW angle tower, now destroyed. Evidence for possibly three square gun towers one at the NW angle of the bawn and one located off centre to S along the W wall and the other located off centre to E along the N wall of the bawn. The farmhouse occupies the NE angle of the bawn and runs N-S forming the enclosing element of the bawn on this side. The bawn wall originally ran off the S gable of this house and returned W running down towards the river forming a large rectangular bawn.

Compiled by: Caimin O'Brien

Date of upload: 17 December 2007