Castleruddery Motte

Well-preserved Norman earthwork motte in County Wicklow, designated a National Monument of Ireland.

Castleruddery Motte is a medieval earthwork in County Wicklow, Ireland, situated about 2 km east-northeast of Stratford-on-Slaney. Mottes like this one – artificially raised mounds that once supported a timber castle – were the signature fortification of the Norman invaders of Ireland. The mound sits on a hillside near the River Slaney and is designated a National Monument of Ireland. There are no standing ruins, but the mound itself is well preserved, conveying how the Normans imposed control over the Irish landscape through elevated strongholds.