The castle remains occupy a earthen platform roughly 25 metres north to south and 15 metres east to west, from which the ground drops dramatically, over 8 metres, down to the lake’s edge. What survives today are the sod covered foundations of a stone structure, probably once rectangular, measuring about 11 by 7.5 metres internally, though the remains are fragmentary and the interior is scattered with loose rubble. An earth and stone bank extends downhill from the northern end towards the lakeshore, where you’ll find the remnants of a small rectangular structure, complete with what appears to have been a secluded boat dock on its western side.

The castle met its end in 1352 when Hugh O’Conor captured and dismantled it, though it later passed into the hands of the MacDonaghs. Local tradition holds that when Ballindoon House was built about 900 metres to the northwest, builders helped themselves to stone from the ruined castle, giving the medieval structure a second life in more peaceful times. Today, most of the ruins lie hidden beneath trees, briars and bushes, making exploration a bit of an adventure.

Perhaps the most intriguing feature is the Armourer’s Well, found on the shoreline just north of where an old field boundary wall meets the water. According to the antiquarian Wood-Martin, writing in 1882, water from this well was once used to temper weapons of war. The well itself is a roughly circular depression about 1.4 metres across and equally deep, lined with rocks on its northern side and featuring an outflow gully to the northwest. While it fills with lake water when water levels are high, locals report it retains water even during summer months when the lake recedes, suggesting it may have its own water source; a useful feature for any medieval armourer working at the castle forge.