What is recorded here

Ormond's castle vanished before human memory, leaving only a ring of earth and a field where stone once stood. What remains is absence given shape: a circle on grass, a coordinate in a ledger, a castle reduced to the idea of itself. Great Island keeps its secret not in stone but in forgetting, and the field belongs to everyone who stops to look.

There are references to the repair of a stone castle requiring lead, slate and timber in 1286, which also required the digging of a moat (Hore 1901-11, vol. 3, 202-3). According to the Civil Survey (1654-6) 120 acres and a large castle at Great Island was the property of the Earl of Ormond in 1640 (Simington 1953, 181). There is no reason other than the 1839 and 1940 eds of the OS 6 inch map for believing a castle to have been located exactly here within the ringwork (WX039- 028001-) and adjacent to castle site (WX039-028003-). There are no visible remains of a structure at ground level. 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: 28 January, 2013

This remains an important historical record, but the official description says the monument is no longer visible or has been destroyed. The monument record does not grant public access. Check the route and ask the landowner before entering private land.