The structure sits against the northwest bank of the moat, though heavy vegetation now obscures much of the site. Local historian Ó Ríordáin identified this location as the site of a medieval castle back in 1931, adding another piece to the puzzle of Cork’s fortified past.

The castle’s position within a moated enclosure suggests it once formed part of a larger defensive complex, a common arrangement for Anglo-Norman settlements in medieval Ireland. Moated sites like this one typically date from the 13th to 14th centuries, when English colonists built fortified homesteads throughout the countryside. The moat would have served both as a defensive barrier and a status symbol, marking the residence of someone with sufficient resources to undertake such earthworks.

Today, little remains visible of Castle Nalacht beyond the rubble mound, which likely represents the collapsed walls of a tower house or similar stone structure. The Archaeological Inventory of County Cork, first published in 1992 and updated in 2009, continues to recognise the site’s historical significance, preserving its memory even as nature reclaims the physical remains. For those interested in Cork’s medieval landscape, this overgrown mound offers a tangible connection to the county’s Anglo-Norman heritage, when castles and moated sites dotted the countryside as symbols of conquest and control.