The original castle on this island was rough in construction. This earlier castle was destroyed by King Felim O'Connor in the early 13th century. The castle of which a remnant remains was erected by Thomas Bourke and later owned by Richard Roe Bourke. Richard Roe abandoned the castle to escape Sir Richard Binghams army but he was captured, tried and hanged in 1587. This island is also thought to be a Crannog. A Crannog is a man made island usually constructed from timber, stones and soil. On this foundation they built huts and a wooden fence around the dwellings. Access to the Crannogs was some times by a submerged causeway. It followed a zig-zag pattern so that only the inhabitants of the Crannog would know the route. Another method of access was by a primitive boat dug out from a tree trunk
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