This small tower house, now reduced to little more than stone footings and partial walls, once belonged to James, Lord Baron of Dunboyne, according to records from 1640. By the time of the Civil Survey in 1654-6, the castle was already described as “irreparably demolished”, suggesting it had fallen victim to the tumultuous conflicts of the mid-17th century.

What remains today gives us glimpses into the castle’s original square design, measuring roughly 6 metres on each side internally, with thick limestone walls of 1.7 metres. The western wall survives best, standing about 3 metres high, whilst the northern and southern walls are only partially intact. Of the eastern wall, only the foundations remain, though these preserve evidence of the main doorway at its centre. The base of a garderobe chute, essentially a medieval toilet that would have emptied outside the walls, can still be spotted in the southern wall.

Archaeological surveys have identified possible foundations of an angle tower at the southeast corner, which would have provided additional defensive capabilities and living space. The castle’s proximity to a church and graveyard to the southeast suggests this was once a significant local centre of power. Built from roughly coursed limestone rubble typical of Irish tower houses, Cloghaneena represents the dozens of small fortified residences that once dotted the Irish landscape, home to minor nobility and landowners who needed both comfort and security in uncertain times.