The castle appears on the 1842 Ordnance Survey map as a dotted square, suggesting it was already gone by that time, with no visible trace remaining on the surface. What we’re left with is essentially an empty field with a view, but one that held strategic importance centuries ago.

This was once a MacCarthy Reagh castle, part of the network of fortifications that dotted the landscape of what’s now West Cork. The MacCarthy Reagh were a branch of the powerful MacCarthy dynasty who ruled this region from the 13th to the 17th century, and their castles served as both defensive strongholds and administrative centres. The choice of location wasn’t random; the elevated position above the river would have given the castle’s inhabitants clear views of approaching visitors or threats, whilst the Bandon River itself served as both a natural barrier and a vital transport route.

While there’s nothing to see at ground level today, the site remains part of Cork’s archaeological record, documented in the county’s official inventory. It’s one of many “lost” castles in Ireland, where only place names, old maps and historical records remind us of what once stood there. The absence of physical remains doesn’t diminish the site’s historical significance; it simply means that Short Castle joined the ranks of Ireland’s many fortifications that succumbed to time, conflict, or stone robbing for local building projects.