Bawn, Clegna, Co. Roscommon

This fortified enclosure, measuring 57 metres square internally, overlooks the Boyle river from its strategic position on rising ground. The structure proved its worth during the turbulent 1640s when Sir Charles Coote's son successfully defended it against two separate sieges; first by Con O'Rourke in 1641, then by John Burke in 1643. Though the original manor house within was destroyed by fire in 1798, a farmhouse was built in its place and remains occupied today.

The bawn's defensive features remain impressively intact, particularly along the northern and eastern walls which still stand about three metres high. Eight original gun-loops pierce the north wall, with four more surviving in the east wall and three in the west, allowing defenders to cover all approaches. Three of the original corner towers survive in varying states of preservation; the southeast tower has been incorporated into the modern dwelling, whilst the circular northeast and northwest towers, each 3.9 metres in diameter internally, retain their two-storey structures complete with ground-floor gun-loops and first-floor fireplaces. A fascinating remnant of the original house, a chimney stack, still straddles the southern bawn wall where the main entrance likely once stood.

Archaeological investigations conducted between 2008 and 2011 have revealed post-medieval materials south of the bawn and confirmed the presence of the bawn wall foundations and internal features along the eastern section. The site represents one of the better-preserved examples of plantation-era fortifications in Ireland, offering visitors a tangible connection to the complex military and social history of 17th-century Connacht, when such strongholds served as both family homes and defensive outposts in a frequently contested landscape.