This earthwork, recently identified through aerial archaeology by Simon Dowling, sits just 300 metres from where the combined estuaries of the Barrow, Nore and Suir rivers meet the sea. While historical Ordnance Survey maps from 1839 and 1925 misplaced its location, the site has been identified as a possible ringwork castle, though its true origins may be tied to the medieval military order of the Knights Templar.

The site is believed to be part of the preceptory of Kilcloggan, traditionally said to have been founded by O’More of Laois in the late 12th century, though more likely established following Henry II’s grant of the church of St. Alloch in 1172. The name Kilcloggan itself is a corruption of Cill Eallóg, meaning Alloch’s church, after a saint who was supposedly the son of Díona, daughter of a Saxon king, and Brachan, a Welsh king. The Templars held this manor until their suppression in 1312, when their property passed to the Knights Hospitaller of St. John of Jerusalem, who later established their manor centre at Kilcloggan castle about 1.2km to the north.

A fascinating inventory from 1307 provides a snapshot of life at the Templars’ grange just before their dissolution. Four brothers lived here alongside enough military equipment for perhaps one knight, managing an impressive agricultural operation that included 74 acres of wheat, extensive livestock holdings of about 70 cattle, 55 pigs and over 550 sheep, plus 68 fowl, ducks and geese. The presence of a fully equipped forge, two ovens, 11 beehives, and even a windmill needing repair paints a picture of a thriving, self-sufficient community. The Templars maintained both a chapel and connections to the nearby parish church at Templetown, just 150 metres to the east, suggesting this may have served as the administrative heart of their Wexford holdings.