Bawn

The National Monuments Service's description

Situated on low natural hillock in pasture with ringfort (WM010-001----) and area marked as 'Old Town' on OS 6-inch map 300m to SSW. Inny River marking boundary with County Longford 800m to N. Low earthworks belonging to the levelled bawn of Emper Castle (WM010-002----) were described in the Schools' Collection (1937-39) as following; 'Around the castle there still remains some of the fortifications also a cave and outside that again an immense graveyard where some bishops are buried. Adjoining the castle is an old fort which is of Danish origin' (The Schools' Collection, Volume 0740, page 003).
The fragmentary remains of Emper Castle (WM010-002---) stand on the SW side of a rectangular shaped enclosure or bawn which is defined by the remains of a low earthen bank visible from NNW-N-E-S with a shallow external fosse at. Low wall footings overlie the perimeter of the enclosure on the SE sides. The remains of a small rectangular building can be distinguished on the line of the fosse. There appears to have been a building immediately to the SE of the castle, however, the remains of this are very fragmentary. To the SE of the main circular enclosure is a smaller rectangular enclosure with possible traces of a second small rectangular enclosure to the NE of it. To the NW of the main enclosure is a circular area bounded from S-W-WNW by a low bank of earth & stones with a shallow external fosse.
These earthworks to the NW, N, E and SE of the castle are clearly visible on Digital Globe aerial photograph taken November 2011 and probably represents the remains of a levelled bawn.

Compiled by: Frank Coyne and Caimin O'Brien

Date of upload: 6 June 2017