Once belonging to the Fitzpatrick family, the castle stood as an impressive structure that locals compared to the still-standing tower at Cullahill, suggesting it was both remarkably tall and substantial in size. The building likely served as the residence for the Canons of the adjacent priory, forming part of a larger religious complex that dominated this low-lying area of the Irish midlands.

Francis Grose’s 18th-century illustration captures what may have been the castle’s final century, showing either a residential tower attached to the western end of the priory or possibly a belfry tower. His description hints at the extensive vaults beneath the complex, which he believed “penetrated far under the building”, whilst noting that even in his time, the belfry had already lost much of its original, considerable height. The priory church, known locally as “the Friars Chapel”, extended eastward from the castle, creating an interconnected religious compound.

Today, nothing remains visible above ground of this once-imposing medieval complex. The castle’s dramatic end came around 1850 when, according to local memory recorded by historian Carrigan, it collapsed completely “from the very foundations”. By Carrigan’s time in 1905, only about 30 feet of the priory church’s eastern end survived; even these remnants have since vanished. The site now exists only in historical records, old illustrations, and the memories passed down through generations of locals who witnessed its final years.