Located in a level area of pasture, this medieval site leaves no visible surface trace today, though it remains dutifully marked on Ordnance Survey 6-inch maps. What makes this location particularly intriguing is how little documentation survives about the castle that once stood here, leaving historians and archaeologists to piece together its story from scant evidence.

The site forms part of a broader medieval landscape in this area of Cork. About 150 metres to the northeast stands a rectangular enclosure, catalogued separately in archaeological records, which may have been associated with the castle or represent an entirely different phase of settlement. This proximity suggests the area held strategic or economic importance during the medieval period, though the exact relationship between these two sites remains unclear.

The mystery surrounding Ballynabortagh Castle exemplifies a common challenge in Irish archaeology; many castle sites throughout the country have left minimal physical traces and sparse historical records. These forgotten fortifications once played vital roles in local power structures, controlling territory and trade routes across medieval Ireland. Today, only their recorded positions on old maps hint at the complex networks of authority and defence that once shaped the Irish countryside.