The castle, once a stronghold of the Barry family, met its end in the mid-17th century when Sir Philip Percival took the drastic decision to demolish his own property rather than risk it falling into enemy hands during the turbulent years of Irish rebellion and civil war. This act of strategic demolition was not uncommon during this period, when castles could quickly change hands and become liabilities for their owners.

Historical maps provide tantalising glimpses of what once stood here. The 1842 Ordnance Survey map shows a rectangular area measuring roughly 20 by 10 metres, whilst later maps from 1905 and 1937 reveal a defensive fosse, or ditch, running from southwest to northwest along the western side of the castle site. By 1750, historian Smith was already referring to the site as ‘Drumdowne, a ruined castle of the Barrys’, suggesting the structure had been in ruins for considerable time. A photograph from 1905 captured what remained; stumps of masonry that hinted at the castle’s former presence.

Today, no visible traces of the castle survive above ground. Modern farm buildings now occupy the site where the Barrys once held court and where Sir Philip Percival made his fateful decision to destroy rather than surrender. The transformation from medieval stronghold to working farm reflects the broader changes in the Irish landscape, where practical agricultural needs have often superseded the preservation of defensive structures that lost their purpose centuries ago.