What is recorded here

Castle is a ringwork in Castleland where Dermot MacMurrough's house burned in 1166. The later castle and SE angle tower still sit on the old earthen rampart, probably stone-faced, visible beneath their E and S walls. What raged there that year may have been loss, anger or fear, but the ground kept the shape of the place that was destroyed and rebuilt.

Dermot MacMurrough's house which was burnt in 1166 (Hore 1910, 299) may have been a ringwork castle and was probably located at the site of the present castle. Evidence of an earthen rampart which was probably stone-faced is visible under the E and S walls of the later castle (WX015-003001-) and the SE angle tower which are built on it (Sweetman 1979, 218). The above description is derived from the published 'Archaeological Inventory of County Wexford' (Dublin: Stationery Office, 1996). In certain instances the entries have been revised and updated in the light of recent research. Compiled by: Michael Moore Date of upload/revision: 30 April, 2012

Dermot MacMurrough, King of Leinster, likely held a ringwork castle at Castleland in the mid-12th century, which was burnt in 1166, a significant event during the period of Anglo-Norman intervention in Ireland. The site is important as it may represent an early example of a hybrid Irish-Norman defensive structure.

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