Rathmacknee Castle, Tower house in County Wexford, Ireland

Rathmacknee Castle is a five-story tower structure surrounded by a five-sided defensive wall, featuring characteristic Irish battlements. The fortress includes rooms with fireplaces, defensive observation points, and a specialized bartizan built into the outer wall.

Rathmacknee Castle was probably built by John Rosseter, appointed seneschal of the Liberty of Wexford around 1415; other accounts credit his grandson Thomas Rossiter, seneschal in 1493. The Rossiters stayed Catholic after the Reformation but loyal to the crown and kept their lands. Colonel Thomas Rosseter fought Cromwell at Wexford, and the castle was confiscated in 1654. It was occupied until the 1760s and restored in the 19th century by Hamilton Knox Grogan Morgan.

The castle reflects traditional Irish tower house construction with functional features like murder holes, garderobes, and vaulted stone ceilings. These elements allowed residents to defend and inhabit the structure simultaneously.

The castle sits about 4 miles (6 km) west of Rosslare Strand and is protected as a national monument. Visitors should expect uneven ground and limited interior access in some areas.

The fortress features a specialized bartizan integrated into its outer wall, adding extra defensive reach. This design allowed defenders to monitor multiple approach angles simultaneously.