These defensive features are all that remain of what was once a fortified enclosure, likely built during the plantation era when settlers needed protection from potential raids and attacks.

A bawn was essentially a defensive wall that surrounded a house or castle, creating a secure courtyard where livestock could be kept safe and residents could retreat during times of danger. The gun loops, narrow openings designed for firing muskets whilst remaining protected, tell us this wasn’t just a simple boundary wall; it was built with serious defensive intentions. The fact that both surviving gun loops face eastward suggests this was the direction from which trouble was most expected, perhaps indicating the location of hostile territory or a vulnerable approach route.

Today, these weathered stone remains offer a tangible connection to a time when the Irish countryside was far less peaceful than it appears now. The bawn at Piedmont serves as a reminder that many of Ireland’s grand houses weren’t just homes but fortified strongholds, where the line between domestic life and military defence was often blurred. Though the wall has largely crumbled away, these surviving fragments with their purposeful gun loops continue to bear witness to centuries of local history, conflict, and survival.