According to researchers Risteárd Ua Cróinín and Martin Breen’s comprehensive survey of Clare’s castles and tower houses, this structure represents one of many such defensive buildings that dotted the county’s landscape during the turbulent centuries of clan warfare and English colonisation. The castle’s precise dating remains uncertain, though its architectural features suggest it was likely constructed sometime between the 15th and 17th centuries, a period when such tower houses were commonly built by both Gaelic Irish families and Anglo-Norman settlers seeking to protect their holdings.

The remains at Finlough consist primarily of fragmentary walls that hint at what was once a typical Irish tower house; a compact, vertical dwelling designed for defence rather than comfort. These structures served dual purposes as both family residences and military strongholds, with thick walls, narrow windows, and elevated entrances that could be defended against raiders. The castle would have been home to a local landowner of some standing, possibly a member of one of Clare’s prominent families such as the O’Briens, MacNamaras, or O’Deas, who controlled various territories throughout the county during the medieval period.

Today, Finlough Castle exists in a state of considerable decay, its stones gradually returning to the earth from which they were quarried centuries ago. While it may lack the grandeur of better-preserved Irish castles, sites like Finlough offer valuable insights into the everyday realities of medieval Irish life, where even minor landholders felt the need to fortify their homes against the constant threat of cattle raids, territorial disputes, and political upheaval. The castle’s ruins serve as a tangible connection to Clare’s complex history, when the county was a patchwork of competing lordships and allegiances, each defended by structures just like this one.