This was an act of gratitude to the people of Cashel for the hospitality received by his followers following their attack on Limerick. The letter was preserved for posterity by the Borough of Cashel and its successors. There is a medieval castle on the island, now in a ruinous state, but which still retains a certain grandeur. Located in the castle ruins is a memorial sculptured bust of Thomas MacDonagh,(1878–1916) Tipperary-born poet and leader of the Easter Rising in 1916.