The chief interest attaching to the castles of Ferrycarrig and Shana Court is the fact that one or other of them was the first Anglo-Norman fortress erected in Ireland.
The sites of the two strongholds occupy positions one on each side of the Slaney, a little more than two miles west of Wexford. The parish of Carrig lies on the right bank of the river in the Barony of West Shelmalier, and here on an isolated rock commanding the ferry is situated Ferrycarrig Castle—Carrig signifying a rock.
It is a square tower of great age and occupies the whole summit of the rocky point on which it stands, and does not seem, therefore, to have ever been of larger dimensions than at present. The masonry is rough and massive and the loopholes unusually small, while the door is so low and narrow that it is necessary to stoop when entering.
An opening in the wall is usually called the “murdering hole,” but as there is another aperture to correspond with it in the exterior at the base they are likely to have had some other use.
The close resemblance which this tower bears to Trajan’s Tower at Paboquaipass on the Danube, even to a similar entrance, has been the subject of remark.
On the south bank of the river, where the Crimean monument now stands, were traceable some years ago the fosse and outworks of Shana Court. They occupied about half an acre, but the walls of the fortress had been demolished to supply stones for the building of the old mansion of Belmont.
Tradition asserts that Ferrycarrig was erected by FitzStephen, who landed in Ireland in 1169, and that Shana Court was built by King John, it deriving its name from his having held court there as Viceroy.
We know FitzStephen de Marisco erected a castle at Carrig from the following passage in Giraldus Cambrensis:
“MacMorogh marched to besiege Dublin, but left FitzStephen behind, who was then building a hold or castle upon a certain rocky hill called the Carricke, about two miles from Wexford, which place, although it was very strong of itself, yet by industry and labour it was made much stronger.”
From the same source we also learn that it was environed on two sides by the river, but this might apply equally to either fortress.