This impressive five-storey rectangular tower, measuring nearly 11 metres east to west and 8 metres north to south, was once the stronghold of the Wadding family, who held considerable influence in medieval Wexford. The Waddings first appeared in local records during the mid-14th century, with various family members serving as sheriffs and sergeants of Wexford. By 1585, Richard Wadding possessed the castle and its lands, and the family maintained their Catholic faith through turbulent times; Luke Wadding even served as Catholic bishop of Ferns from 1678 to 1687. The family’s fortunes changed dramatically during the Cromwellian period when Richard Wadding, who held over 580 acres across several parishes, was marked for transplantation to Connaught in 1653 along with twenty dependents.

The castle itself is a fascinating example of Irish tower house architecture, built entirely with dressed granite quoins. Visitors entering through the now-destroyed southern entrance would have passed through a defensive lobby complete with a murder hole before reaching the ground floor chamber. The tower’s defensive features are particularly intriguing; the second floor contains not one but two oubliettes, hidden chambers accessed through trap doors in the floor. One of these secret spaces, measuring just over 2.8 metres long but less than a metre wide, lies beneath an elegant ogee-headed window embrasure in the north wall. The castle’s domestic arrangements included fireplaces on the second and third floors, with the latter featuring a comfortable two-light window with built-in seats, perfect for catching the northern light.

Following the Restoration, Charles II granted Ballycogly and its substantial 1,463 acres to Richard Ousley, whose heiress daughter Martha married into the Barrington family of nearby Ballymacane castle. The Barringtons retained their portion of the estate well into the 20th century, maintaining a connection to this remarkable structure that spans over 600 years. Though the Down Survey map of 1656-8 depicts the castle within a protective bawn wall, no physical evidence of these outer defences remains today. The tower still preserves many original features including a newel staircase leading to the parapet, a lookout platform above the stair housing, and the remnants of east and west gables that once supported the roof.