The site began as the administrative centre of the manor of Duffry, a vast territory stretching from the river to the Blackstairs Mountains. While the original fortification was likely an earthwork castle, its exact origins remain uncertain. What we do know is that the land was granted by Strongbow to Robert de Quincy before 1172, beginning a complex chain of ownership that would see the site pass through Norman, Irish, and English hands over the centuries.

The castle’s turbulent medieval history saw it change hands multiple times; from the de Quincy and Prendergast families to the Rochforts, who officially owned it until 1391, though by 1326 it was already described as destroyed by the Irish. During the 15th century, the powerful MacMurrough clan took control of Enniscorthy, with Donal Reagh MacMurrough founding a Franciscan friary nearby in 1460. The structure we see today, however, dates from the 1580s when Sir Henry Wallop acquired the town lease and rebuilt the castle as a late tower house. Taking inspiration from nearby Ferns Castle, Wallop created a rectangular fortress with circular corner towers, though on a more modest scale and incorporating distinctly late 16th century features such as square headed doors and windows, fireplaces, and gun loops for defence.

The castle’s architectural details reveal its defensive purpose and evolution over time. Measuring approximately 14 by 12 metres, it originally had three circular corner towers, with the main entrance through a granite doorway on the southeast side, protected by both a yett (iron gate) and a defensive loop in the south tower. A newel staircase in this tower connects the three storeys, whilst the west tower conceals an oubliette in its foundations, where a prisoner once scratched the image of a late 16th century soldier into the plaster wall. Archaeological evidence suggests a substantial bawn, or walled enclosure, once extended north and west of the castle, complete with a large tower at its northeast corner that appears in 18th century illustrations. After restoration work in 1903 by H. J. Roche, who modernised the windows and added a new block to the northeast side, the castle found new life as the County Wexford Museum, reopening after refurbishment in 2010 to continue sharing the region’s rich history with visitors.