The tower house, measuring approximately 9.7 metres north to south and 8.19 metres east to west, stands on an earthen platform with steep drops to the west and gentler slopes to the north and south. Though much of the structure has collapsed, with only the northwest corner surviving to the fourth storey and ivy obscuring many of the sandstone rubble walls, enough remains to piece together its defensive design and domestic arrangements.

The castle’s history is marked by seizure and transfer. It was likely one of three castles mentioned by Sir William Pelham in 1580, when he and the Earl of Ormond wrested control from the Burkes, who had been using them to harbour rebels in eastern Aherlow. By 1591, the Crown had seized the castle from Walter Bourke fitz John and granted it to Thomas Butler, Earl of Ormond. The Civil Survey of 1654;6 recorded it as either “an old brocken castle Irepayreable” or “a demolished castle”, suggesting its condition had already deteriorated significantly by the mid-17th century. While some sources claim the Uniackes built it after receiving a Cromwellian grant, local tradition maintains the Burkes as the original proprietors.

Despite its ruinous state, architectural details reveal a sophisticated medieval dwelling. The entrance was positioned at the north end of the east wall, protected by a drawbar slot, and led to a ground floor chamber lit by windows in the north and west walls. A mural staircase in the east wall provided access to upper floors, though it’s unclear whether it continued as a mural stair or became a spiral in the southeast corner. The first and third floors were vaulted, though both vaults have since collapsed, and remnants of features like a garderobe chamber in the southwest corner, wall cupboards, and corbels for wooden floor supports hint at the domestic comforts once enjoyed by its inhabitants. Today, the site is planted with conifers, and chunks of collapsed masonry lie scattered around the tower’s base, silent witnesses to centuries of Irish history.