A bawn was essentially a fortified enclosure, typically built to protect a house or castle from attack during the turbulent plantation period. These defensive walls, which could reach heights of up to 20 feet, were particularly common in Ulster and Connacht, where English and Scottish settlers needed protection from displaced Irish families and general unrest.

The Derrydonnell Beg Bawn would have originally enclosed a tower house or fortified dwelling, creating a secure compound where livestock could be driven in during raids and where the inhabitants could mount a defence from the wall walks and corner towers. Like many bawns throughout Ireland, it likely featured defensive elements such as gun loops, murder holes above the entrance, and projecting turrets at the corners to eliminate blind spots. The structure dates from around the 1620s or 1630s, when the area saw significant plantation activity and local Gaelic families were being displaced by incoming settlers.

Today, the bawn stands as a reminder of this contested period in Irish history, when the landscape was dotted with these defensive structures. While many bawns have disappeared entirely or survive only as earthworks, examples like Derrydonnell Beg offer visitors a tangible connection to an era when even domestic architecture had to account for the very real possibility of violent conflict. The site provides an excellent opportunity to understand how plantation settlers and remaining Gaelic families alike adapted their building practices to the dangerous realities of 17th century Ireland.