The site, now occupied by a garden, holds no visible traces of the fortification that appeared as ruins on the 1842 Ordnance Survey map. By the time later editions were published, cartographers had resigned themselves to marking it simply as ‘site of’, acknowledging that even the ruins had vanished into the landscape.

Historical records suggest this was likely Roche Castle, a stronghold of the Roche family who held the manor of Cullen from at least 1637. The Roches were among the Old English families who dominated much of Cork’s medieval landscape, building castles and tower houses to secure their holdings and demonstrate their power. Like many such fortifications across Ireland, Cullen Castle probably consisted of a tower house with associated buildings, serving both defensive and residential purposes for the local lords.

The complete disappearance of the castle between the 1840s and later surveys tells a familiar story of Ireland’s lost heritage. Stone from abandoned castles often found new life in local building projects; walls, gates, and farmhouses throughout the countryside incorporate dressed stones and carved details from long demolished strongholds. Today, visitors to Cullen will find only a peaceful garden where the Roches once held court, a quiet transformation that mirrors the fate of countless other Irish castles.