Site of Castle, Clavass, Co. Wexford

Co. Wexford |

Castle Features

Site of Castle, Clavass, Co. Wexford

The site at Clavass in County Wexford offers a fascinating glimpse into medieval Irish fortification, though little remains of what was once marked as a castle on 19th and early 20th century Ordnance Survey maps.

Located on a gently sloping hillside facing west, the site consists of a rectangular grass-covered platform measuring roughly 49 metres north to south and 40 metres east to west. This raised area is defined by substantial earthen banks, particularly prominent on the western and northern sides where they rise about a metre above the interior and span approximately four metres in width.

What makes this site particularly intriguing is its defensive moat system, which still survives in varying states of preservation. The flat-bottomed moat, ranging from four to five metres wide and reaching depths of two to three metres on the interior side, encircles most of the platform except for the eastern edge. While the southern section has been largely filled in over the centuries, the western portion remains well-defined, with an external depth of around 1.2 metres. An additional outer bank on the northern side suggests this was once a fairly sophisticated defensive arrangement, typical of Anglo-Norman fortifications in medieval Ireland.

Though no stonework remains visible today, the earthworks alone tell a story of strategic planning and considerable labour investment. The site's inclusion in Barry's 1977 archaeological survey and its subsequent documentation in the Archaeological Inventory of County Wexford confirms its historical significance, even if the castle itself has long since vanished. These earthen remains, now overgrown and weathered, represent the kind of forgotten medieval sites that dot the Irish countryside; easily overlooked but holding centuries of local history within their banks and ditches.

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