While it doesn’t appear on the Down Survey maps from 1656-8, the Civil Survey of 1654-6 tells us that Christopher Plunkett held 60 acres here, complete with a castle, bawn, and 30 cabins. This discrepancy between two near-contemporary surveys hints at the turbulent times of 17th-century Ireland, when properties could change hands rapidly or be deliberately omitted from official records.

The site sits atop a WNW-ESE running esker ridge, about 80 metres southeast of a medieval motte, suggesting this location has been strategically important for centuries. The Ordnance Survey maps from 1836 and 1908 both mark it as a castle site, acknowledging its former significance even after the structure had largely disappeared. Today, quarrying has taken its toll on whatever remained of Plunkett’s castle; visitors will find only scattered stones with traces of mortar clinging to them, the last physical evidence of what was once a fortified residence.

These fragments tell a broader story about the transformation of the Irish landscape. From medieval mottes to tower houses with bawns, and eventually to ruins reclaimed by industry, Ballymacad exemplifies how Ireland’s historical sites have been continuously reshaped by political upheaval, changing land ownership, and modern development. The Archaeological Inventory of County Meath, first published in 1987 and updated as recently as 2016, continues to piece together these fragments, helping us understand the complex layers of history beneath the Meath countryside.