Bawn, Scregg, Co. Roscommon
Sitting atop a rocky pinnacle at Scregg in County Roscommon, this bawn represents a fascinating piece of Ireland's defensive heritage.
Bawn, Scregg, Co. Roscommon
The structure occupies the northern end of a northwest to southeast ridge, positioned just south of a tower house that would have served as the main fortified residence. Together, these two structures formed a cohesive defensive complex that was once common across the Irish landscape during the plantation period.
The bawn itself consists of a rectangular grass-covered enclosure measuring approximately 15 metres on each side. Its southern boundary is particularly well-preserved, featuring an earthen bank that stands 2.2 metres wide and rises to about 60 centimetres on the interior side. This defensive bank is further reinforced by an outer fosse, essentially a defensive ditch, which measures 1.2 metres wide at its base and reaches a depth of 60 centimetres. The eastern and western sides of the enclosure retain remnants of stone walls, each measuring between 1 and 1.2 metres in thickness; these would have originally formed substantial barriers against potential attackers.
Bawns like this one served as fortified courtyards where livestock could be secured during times of unrest, and where the inhabitants of the tower house could retreat if the main building was compromised. The combination of earthen banks, ditches, and stone walls represents a typical defensive arrangement of the 16th and 17th centuries, when such fortifications were essential for survival in a turbulent political landscape. Today, while much reduced from their original height, these remains offer valuable insights into the defensive strategies employed by Ireland’s Anglo-Norman and Gaelic lords.