Built sometime in the 16th or 17th century, these defensive structures were once common across the Irish countryside, particularly in areas where English and Scottish settlers established themselves during the plantation period. The word ‘bawn’ derives from the Irish ‘bábhún’, meaning a fortified enclosure, and these structures typically consisted of high stone walls surrounding a house or tower, providing protection for both residents and livestock during times of conflict.

This particular bawn in Castlequarter would have served as both a home and a fortress for a landed family, most likely Protestant settlers or Anglo-Irish gentry who needed to defend themselves against potential raids. The walls, though now partially ruined, would have originally stood several metres high with defensive features such as gun loops and possibly corner towers. The enclosed courtyard provided a secure space where cattle could be driven in during attacks; a valuable consideration in an era when cattle raiding was both a economic threat and a form of warfare between rival groups.

Today, the bawn stands as a monument to a complex period in Irish history when the landscape was dotted with these defensive homesteads. While many bawns have disappeared entirely or been incorporated into later buildings, the Castlequarter example remains visible in the landscape, its weathered stones bearing witness to centuries of change in rural Clare. These structures tell the story of a divided society, where architecture reflected the anxieties and conflicts of plantation Ireland, yet also demonstrate the eventual integration of these buildings into the peaceful agricultural landscape that surrounds them today.