Barnane is a townland on the southern slope of the Devil’s Bit, in the barony of Ikerrin, County Tipperary, and most of what brought visitors here is gone. The Carden family’s country house was abandoned around 1920 and demolished; what remains is a walled garden, a battlemented folly and some scattered foundations on open farmland. On its own it would not detain you long. It earns a stop because the hill above it – the Devil’s Bit itself, with its famous gap and a good loop walk – is one of the better short climbs in mid-Tipperary, and the ruins make a quiet warm-up.
The R501 runs through the townland, linking Borrisoleigh and Templemore.
The estate and the legend
The name comes from the Irish An Bearnán, “the gap,” and from the story behind it: Saint Patrick chased the Devil across Ireland, the Devil took a bite out of the mountain as he fled, and the discarded “bit” landed to the south as the Rock of Cashel. The full version and the walking routes are on the Devil’s Bit page.
The Cardens were prominent landowners in Ikerrin, and through the 19th century they built up the estate around an older castle site recorded here since the 1600s. It reached its peak between about 1840 and 1880. Financial pressures and a changing world caught up with it, and Andrew Carden abandoned the main house around 1920; it came down soon after. The same family built Carden’s Folly, a round tower, up on the Devil’s Bit around 1860.
The ruins and grounds
The Barnane House site is open land, reached on a short footpath. The walled garden was built around 1860: the outer wall is snecked, roughly dressed limestone, the inner leaf red brick – the warmer brick face held the heat for fruit trees, a standard Victorian trick. An elliptical limestone arch with cut-stone voussoirs and a wrought-iron gate marks the entrance. The garden carries a regional heritage listing for its architecture.
At the south-west corner stands a three-stage, two-bay mock-towerhouse folly, built around 1860 by John Carden – battlemented parapets, gablets, blind loops and a limestone chimney-stack, the whole Victorian medieval-revival kit. On a calm day it is sound enough to climb for a modest view over the farmland; give it a miss in high wind or rain.
For those interested in the wider Carden family holdings, the nearby Carden Demesne features additional historic structures and follies worth exploring.
Walks and local life
The Devil’s Bit Loop, a 3.7 km circuit, climbs from near here to the gap and the cross above it; gentler grass tracks lower down suit families, and the steeper line leads to the viewpoints and old cairns. The mountain’s silhouette is best photographed in the late afternoon. Trail maps and grades are on the Devil’s Bit page.
There has been a national school at Barnane since 1846 – two were founded that year, in fact – though the present building dates from 1958. The church and graveyard nearby are a quiet spot, and the surrounding fields draw birdwatchers and the odd picnic.
Practical information
- Access and parking – Take the R501 between Borrisoleigh and Templemore and follow signs for the Devil’s Bit. Parking is limited and informal; there is no dedicated visitor car park, so don’t expect facilities at the site.
- Facilities – None on-site: no centre, no café, no toilets. Bring water, snacks and sturdy footwear; the nearest shops and toilets are in Borrisoleigh and Templemore.
- Opening times – Open land, year-round, daylight hours.
- Safety and weather – The Devil’s Bit catches the weather fast, even in summer. Pack a windproof layer, check the forecast, and tell someone your route. Skip the folly climb in high wind or rain.
- Nearby stops – The Rock of Cashel is about 40 minutes’ drive to the south, with Cahir Castle and the Swiss Cottage beyond it.
Treat Barnane as the lower half of a Devil’s Bit outing rather than a destination in itself: walk the garden and folly first, then put the legs to the loop above while the morning light holds.