These subtle traces in the landscape are all that remain of what was once a notable fortification, recorded on the 1657 Down Survey maps of Rathconrath barony and Ballymore parish. The survey, commissioned by Oliver Cromwell to redistribute Irish lands after the Confederate Wars, provides one of the few historical records of the castle’s existence.

The castle’s appearance on these mid-17th century maps suggests it held some significance during that turbulent period of Irish history, when castles served as both defensive strongholds and symbols of territorial control. However, by the time the Ordnance Survey began their comprehensive mapping of Ireland in the 1830s, Moyvoughly Castle had already vanished from the cartographic record; it appears on none of the OS 6-inch maps from any edition. This absence indicates the structure was likely abandoned or demolished sometime between the late 1600s and early 1800s.

Today, these earthworks offer a tangible connection to Ireland’s medieval past, visible only from above through modern satellite imagery. The sub-rectangular pattern suggests the footprint of what would have been a tower house or small castle complex, typical of the defensive structures built throughout Ireland between the 15th and 17th centuries. While the stones have long since been carried away, probably recycled into local buildings and field walls, the earth itself remembers where Moyvoughly Castle once stood.