Bawn, Cloghreagh, Co. Meath
Co. Meath |
Castle Features
The bawn at Cloghreagh in County Meath sits on a gentle ridge that runs northwest to southeast, offering a glimpse into Ireland's fortified past.
This rectangular enclosure measures approximately 30 metres along its northwest-southeast axis and 23 metres from northeast to southwest. What makes it particularly interesting is how it was constructed; a defensive ditch or fosse, ranging from 4 to 6 metres wide and up to a metre deep, surrounds three sides of the complex. The southeast side tells a different story, where an 18th-century building now stands where the original ditch would have been.
At the eastern corner of this defensive perimeter stands the castle proper, whilst a later house occupies the southeastern section within the enclosed area. This arrangement shows the typical evolution of Irish fortified sites, where newer buildings were often incorporated into or built over earlier defensive structures. The presence of both medieval and 18th-century architecture in one location demonstrates how these sites remained important through different periods of Irish history.
The site was documented in the Archaeological Inventory of County Meath, published by the Stationery Office in Dublin in 1987, though ongoing research continues to reveal new details about this historic location. The combination of the castle, bawn, and later house creates a layered historical landscape that reflects centuries of continuous occupation and adaptation in rural Meath.