Bawn

The National Monuments Service's description

Situated on a slight rise in fairly level ground. The land drops slightly to the River Suir flood plain, the river being c. 100m NW of the tower house (TN047-015001). Depicted as Cabra Castle (TN047-015) on Rocque's Map of Thurles 1775. A roughly square tower house which has been much altered and the stone work repointed. It was built of roughly coursed, crudely cut limestone blocks with base-batter on all sides except NW. The tower house only survives to first-floor level, anything above this has been neatly knocked off leaving an even level. According to the OS Letters the N wall was completely destroyed 'the staircase ascends now on the outside of the structure' (O'Flanagan 1930, vol. 2, 192-3). This would suggest that the two doorways were inserted in a later rebuild. The letters also mention 'the corner over the stairs is battered; some remains of a watch tower of circular form are on the corner' (ibid.). There may have been a bartizan at the NW angle.
There is a length of wall (L 22.2m; T 0.45-0.5m) 20.6m N of the tower house which may be the remains of a bawn. It is composed of roughly coursed limestone rubble (H 2.5m with coping adding approx. 0.2m). The coping, which appears to have been at least partly built of brick, has been cemented over. This wall appears to run into a later house at its NE end - there is no evidence of a wall beyond this. At the NW end there is a foundation stone which seems to indicate a return, suggesting that the wall ran up to the NW wall of the tower house, meeting it roughly off-centre. On the SE face of the possible bawn wall there is a base-batter (H 1.3m H; Wth 0.23m). Two large buttresses support the wall on the NW face which is bulging out quite badly.

Compiled by: Caimin O'Brien.

Date of upload: 22 September 2008