The castle appears on the 1842 Ordnance Survey six-inch map, marked simply as ‘site of’, suggesting it had already vanished from the landscape by the time Victorian cartographers arrived with their measuring chains. Local history tells us this was a Fitzgerald stronghold, likely constructed during the 15th century when that powerful Norman-Irish family held sway over much of County Cork.

The Fitzgeralds, who became the Earls of Desmond, built castles throughout Munster as both defensive structures and symbols of their authority. Castle Redmond would have commanded views up and down the Owenacurra, controlling river traffic and keeping watch over the surrounding countryside. Like many Irish tower houses of its era, it probably consisted of a rectangular stone keep several storeys high, with thick walls designed to withstand siege warfare and the occasional neighbourly dispute.

Archaeological excavations in 2001 sought traces of the castle’s foundations, though the tidal nature of this stretch of river has likely claimed whatever remained beneath the soil. The site serves as a reminder of how dramatically Ireland’s medieval landscape has changed; hundreds of castles that once dotted the countryside have disappeared entirely, leaving only placenames and map notations to mark where local lords once held court.