This rectangular fortified enclosure, measuring approximately 57 metres northwest to southeast and 36 metres across, was built to defend the castle that stood at its eastern edge. Though the castle itself has long since vanished, the bawn’s outline remains traceable, its defensive walls and the wide outer ditch, or fosse, still visible in places; the northwestern ditch spans 6 to 7 metres wide, whilst the southwestern section measures 4 to 5 metres across.

Historical maps tell the story of this site’s gradual decline. The first Ordnance Survey edition from 1840 clearly marked the bawn, and by 1916, the Cassini edition still showed it partially intact with distinctive hachure markings indicating the earthwork remains. Local historians Risteárd Ua Cróinín and Martin Breen have studied the surviving stonework extensively, determining that the southern wall likely predates the 16th century, whilst the foundations of both the eastern and western walls appear to share this late medieval origin.

Today, this quiet farmyard offers few obvious clues to its martial past, yet it represents an important piece of Clare’s medieval landscape. The bawn served as the outer line of defence for Crughwill Castle, creating a secure compound where livestock could be protected during raids and where the castle’s inhabitants could retreat when threatened. These fortified enclosures were essential features of medieval Irish tower houses, particularly in areas like Clare where cattle raiding and territorial disputes were common throughout the late medieval period.