The structure is believed to have been constructed by Richard Tyrell of Killyfana, whose family would have used the defensive walls to protect their dwelling house and livestock from raids during this turbulent period of Irish history.

When the historian Oliver Davies surveyed the site in 1948, he recorded some intriguing earthwork features that suggested the original layout of the bawn. He noted peculiar banks that formed a rectangular enclosure measuring approximately 21 metres in width; a typical size for these defensive structures which often surrounded plantation castles or fortified houses. These raised earthworks would have originally supported walls made of stone or timber, creating a secure compound where settlers could retreat during times of conflict.

Unfortunately, no visible traces of these banks remain at ground level today, with the passage of time and agricultural activity having erased the physical evidence that Davies observed over seventy years ago. The site’s history is now preserved primarily through archaeological records, including the Archaeological Inventory of County Cavan published in 1995, which continues to be updated as new research emerges. While the bawn itself has vanished from the landscape, its documented existence offers a glimpse into the defensive measures employed by plantation families as they established themselves in 17th-century Cavan.