The tower house, which commands views of Castlelake tower house just 400 metres to the southeast, sits at the western end of a rectangular bawn with additional buildings tucked into its northeast angle and along the southern wall. Originally in the possession of John Bourke fitz William Oge in 1558, the castle had passed to Edward Butler, brother of the Earl of Ormond, by 1587. When surveyed in the 1650s during Cromwell’s campaign, the structure was described as demolished but still inhabited, with a thatched house and several cabins within its bawn.

The limestone rubble tower, measuring approximately 11 by 9 metres with walls nearly 2 metres thick at ground level, originally rose three storeys before a fourth floor and parapet-level chamber were added during the 16th century. The eastern entrance, now badly damaged but once protected by an overhead machicolation, features an unusual sheela-na-gig carved above where the doorway once stood. Inside, the tower reveals a complex arrangement of chambers, mural passages, and defensive features including multiple murder holes positioned at strategic points along the internal stairway. The ground floor appears to have been subdivided in the late 17th or 18th century by a substantial cross wall, whilst the first floor boasts an unusual cinquefoil window; a rare decorative touch in such defensive architecture.

The upper floors showcase increasingly sophisticated living arrangements, with the second floor containing no fewer than five windows, multiple wall cupboards, and access to several mural chambers including a long, narrow gallery space along the south wall. A particularly intriguing feature is the vaulted chamber accessed via steep stairs from the north wall, which leads to a mysterious unlit inner chamber at its rear. The late 16th-century additions transformed the tower’s skyline, adding a third floor with fireplace and a mural chamber at parapet level that runs the length of the north wall, complete with three windows and stone capping. The battlements remain in excellent condition, featuring stone-capped crow-stepped crenellations, functional drain holes and water spouts; testament to the quality of the original construction and subsequent improvements that adapted this fortress into a more comfortable, if still formidable, residence.