First mentioned in records dating from 1618, this imposing square tower house once dominated the local landscape with its remarkable six storeys, measuring approximately 11.5 metres east to west and 9.5 metres north to south. The antiquarian John O’Donovan documented the structure around 1840, when it still stood as a testament to the defensive architecture of post-medieval Ireland.

Photographs from around 1900, preserved in the Lawrence collection at the National Library of Ireland, capture the castle in its final years, showing two surviving vaults and portions of the bawn wall that once enclosed the complex still visible at the roadside. These images provide a haunting glimpse of what was lost when the entire structure catastrophically collapsed in January 1916, leaving nothing visible at ground level today. The timing of its destruction, occurring during the tumultuous period of the First World War and just months before the Easter Rising, meant that preserving this piece of architectural heritage was far from anyone’s priority.

Today, visitors to Abbeyside will find no trace of McGrath’s Castle above ground, though its memory persists in local collections and historical accounts. The site serves as a sobering reminder of how quickly centuries of history can vanish; what stood for nearly 300 years disappeared in a single winter’s day, taking with it the physical evidence of the families who built, defended, and lived within its walls. Archaeological surveys and historical research continue to piece together the castle’s story, ensuring that whilst the stones may have fallen, the history of this once prominent Waterford landmark endures.