This site potentially marks where William de Braose, an Anglo-Norman lord, first established an earth and timber castle during the initial waves of Norman expansion into Ireland. These early wooden structures, known as ringwork castles, were quick to build and served as essential strongholds as the Normans secured their new territories throughout the 12th century.

The location gained renewed importance in 1225 when William and Matilda de Marisco constructed the stone fortress of Coonagh Castle, possibly on the very same spot where the earlier timber fortification once stood. Archaeological investigation by O’Keeffe in 2011 revealed intriguing evidence supporting this theory; the site features flat ground bordered by a distinctive curving break of slope on its southern edge, suggesting the presence of an earlier defensive enclosure measuring approximately 50 metres in diameter. This circular earthwork would have been typical of Norman ringwork castles, which consisted of a raised or enclosed area surrounded by a timber palisade and defensive ditch.

The transition from timber to stone at this site reflects a broader pattern across Norman Ireland, where temporary wooden fortifications gradually gave way to permanent stone castles as territorial control solidified. While the wooden structures have long since vanished, leaving only subtle traces in the landscape, they represent a crucial chapter in Ireland’s medieval history; these early castles were the footholds from which the Normans transformed the Irish political and social landscape, introducing new architectural styles, agricultural practices, and systems of governance that would shape the country for centuries to come.