Bawn, Ballyboy East, Co. Tipperary South
Co. Tipperary |
Castle Features
About 100 metres west of Ballyboy hall-house, the remnants of a 17th-century bawn stand watch over the River Tar below.
This defensive structure tells an intriguing story of architectural adaptation in turbulent times. Rather than protecting the original medieval hall-house, the bawn appears to have been constructed to defend a later dwelling; a thatched house mentioned in the Civil Survey of 1654-6 as being 'without repaire within a Bawne lately rebuilt by the Lady Everard'.
Today, only fragments of this once-imposing fortification survive. The most striking feature is a semi-circular angle turret, measuring 1.4 metres internally with walls nearly a metre thick, built from a mixture of sandstone and limestone rubble in rough courses. A section of wall extends northeast from the turret for about 4.8 metres, offering a glimpse of the bawn's original extent. The turret itself preserves three gun-loops, though time has taken its toll; the southeast-facing loop is blocked, the eastern one has partially collapsed, whilst only the south-facing aperture remains intact.
The bawn's outer face intriguingly faces towards the hall-house rather than away from it, suggesting a complex defensive arrangement that evolved as the site's buildings changed over time. Lady Everard's rebuilding efforts, documented in the mid-17th century, represent one of many layers of occupation and fortification at this Tipperary site, where medieval and early modern histories intersect along the banks of the River Tar.
