Bawn, Ardrumkilla, Co. Galway
On the crest of an east-facing slope overlooking a turlough sits the remains of a rectangular stone enclosure that has sparked archaeological curiosity.
Bawn, Ardrumkilla, Co. Galway
Measuring 40 metres north to south and 32.4 metres east to west, this weathered structure is defined by a double-faced drystone wall that still stands at 0.65 metres high, though time and vegetation have taken their toll. The original entrance, roughly 2 metres wide, can be found slightly off-centre along the southeast side, providing access to what was once a fortified compound.
Within the enclosure walls, archaeologists have identified the foundations of two rectangular stone buildings, both appearing to be of mortared construction. The first structure, located immediately south of the entrance and built against the enclosure wall, runs northeast to southwest and measures 12.7 metres long by 4.7 metres wide. Though poorly preserved, traces suggest it contained an internal subdivision about 4 metres from its northern end. The second building occupies the northern corner, its masonry bonded directly into the enclosure wall itself. This structure, measuring 10.9 metres by 4.5 metres and oriented northwest to southeast, is now filled with rubble, making detailed analysis difficult.
The site has generated some debate among historians, with suggestions from the Office of Public Works that this might be the location of a former tower house, though the current state of the remains makes definitive classification impossible. Additional structural traces have been noted immediately southeast and southwest of the northern building, hinting at a more complex settlement than what survives today. The Archaeological Inventory of County Galway, compiled by Olive Alcock, Kathy de hÓra and Paul Gosling in 1999, provides the most comprehensive documentation of these intriguing ruins at Bawn, Ardrumkilla.