Castles, Tower Houses and Bawns of County Clare

Castles are fortified structures which usually contained a garrison. A small number of castles are thought to have been built in Ireland in the earlier part of the 12th century. However, it was the Anglo-Normans who introduced the technique of stone castle building after 1169 AD. Typically, these castles had strong round or rectangular towers inside a stout wall. Wooden houses were also constructed inside the walls. Castles in this Norman style continued to be built up to the 15th century, when fortified tower houses became the fashion. There are over 100 surviving castles in County Clare. Click for Castles of Clare.
Between the 15th and 17th centuries the custom of building castles gave way to the building of structures whose main function was as a residence, rather than a solely defensive site. These buildings were called tower houses. There are c.80 tower houses surviving in County Clare, many of them in a very good state of preservation. Click for Tower Houses of Clare.
Some of these tower houses were enclosed within fortified enclosures called bawns. There are 7 such tower houses with bawns surviving in County Clare. Click for Tower Houses with Bawns in Clare.