Bawn, Graystown, Co. Tipperary South
Co. Tipperary |
Castle Features
Two fields north of Graystown Castle reveal the grass-covered wall footings of what appears to be a rectangular tower house with its associated bawn, or fortified courtyard.
The site sits atop a low rocky rise that commands excellent views in all directions, with a deserted medieval settlement visible in the field to the south. The main bawn measures approximately 40 metres from northeast to southwest and 37 metres from northwest to southeast, its walls still traceable as earthen banks standing about 0.7 metres high and between 1 and 1.3 metres thick.
The layout suggests a defensive complex typical of late medieval Ireland, with the castle positioned in the northeast angle of the bawn walls. Against the northwest face of the castle, archaeologists have identified the footings of a possible building running northwest to southeast, built directly against the external face of the bawn wall. Another potential structure sits against the inner face of the southeast wall. These remains likely represent either a tower house with its bawn or a small castle complex, both common defensive structures built by Anglo-Norman and Gaelic lords during the turbulent centuries following the Norman invasion.
Immediately northeast of the main complex lies a second, adjoining bawn with an associated house, both defined by earthen banks rather than stone footings. This secondary enclosure appears to have been constructed using different building techniques, suggesting it may have been added at a later date, perhaps representing an expansion of the original fortification or a separate phase of occupation. Further to the east, archaeologists have identified the remains of two additional buildings, completing what would have been a substantial medieval settlement complex serving both defensive and domestic purposes.