Bawn

The National Monuments Service's description

‘Killeenbrack Castle’ situated in pasture. Castle described in 1978 as a well preserved tall rectangular-shaped tower house (WM024-111----) with adjoining building to S standing in S corner of large rectangular shaped bawn. Depicted on 1837 ed. OS 6-inch map as a rectangular-shaped area with tower house and later outbuildings in SE corner. The bawn is defended by two circular-shaped towers depicted on NW and SE angles, possible evidence of a partially destroyed corner tower on SW angle. Bawn described in 1978 as a roughly rectangular-shaped area (dims. 52m NNE-SSW; 42m ESE-WNW) enclosed by a high wall (H 3m max.) that is fairly well preserved with the remains of a circular-shaped tower on the SW corner, there are no longer any visible remains of a tower on the other corners. The walls of the bawn and circular-shaped angle tower are pierced with gun-loops.
Castle described in by Salter (2004, 151) as following; 'Gunloops open off the window embrasures of the lowest level of this four storey tower measuring 10.8m by 8m. The south wall formed part of a surrounding bawn 52m by 42m, the SW corner of which still survives with a circular flanker and the 3m high adjoining walls'.

Compiled by Alison McQueen, Vera Rahilly and Caimin O’Brien.

Date of upload: 21 August 2019

References

Salter, M. 2004 The castles of Leinster. Worcestershire. Folly Publications.