The rectangular fortification measures 20 metres from north to south and 18.6 metres across, with walls standing approximately 2.5 metres high. Though the structure appears largely modern or has been significantly restored, it retains the essential features of these protective enclosures that once safeguarded Irish landowners and their households.

The bawn’s most distinctive features include an arched gateway set into the northwest wall and a low circular turret positioned at the northwest corner. These elements were standard defensive features in bawn construction, with the gateway controlling access to the protected area whilst the turret provided a vantage point for spotting approaching threats. The term ‘bawn’ itself derives from the Irish word ‘bábhún’, meaning cattle enclosure, though these fortified walls served a much broader defensive purpose during Ireland’s turbulent medieval and early modern periods.

Tower houses like the one at Cloghaun were typically built between the 15th and 17th centuries by Gaelic and Anglo-Norman families seeking to protect their lands and assert their status. The surrounding bawn wall would have enclosed a courtyard where livestock could be secured during raids, and where daily activities of the household could be conducted under protection. Today, this site stands as a tangible reminder of how Ireland’s rural landscape was once dotted with these fortified homesteads, each one a small stronghold in an often unsettled countryside.