This defensive enclosure, associated with a fortified house, witnessed one of the more colourful episodes of the 1641 rebellion when the O’Farrells launched a determined assault on the stronghold. Their attack was nothing if not resourceful; they erected scaling ladders against the walls and attempted to burn down the main gate using a barrel filled with pitch and rosin. Contemporary accounts place this gateway facing St. John’s church on Church Street, where it would have served as the primary entrance to the bawn from what was then known as ‘the green near the church’.

The fortification’s military significance extended well beyond the turbulent 17th century. In 1774, Lord Longford recognised an opportunity to repurpose his castle, offering it to the government as a site for new cavalry barracks. This decision marked the beginning of the end for the historic bawn; its walls were likely demolished during the barracks’ construction, erasing the physical evidence of centuries of defensive architecture.

Today, no visible traces of the bawn remain above ground, though its story persists through historical records and archaeological surveys. The site reference LF013-062 marks where this once impressive fortification stood, a silent witness to Longford’s evolution from a landscape of contested strongholds to a more peaceful military garrison town. The transformation from medieval defensive structure to Georgian military facility reflects the broader changes in Irish society during this period, as older forms of local warfare gave way to centralised military control.