This rectangular four-storey tower house, measuring 12.5 metres east to west and 9.9 metres north to south, belonged to the powerful Butler family of Ormond during the 16th and 17th centuries. When surveyed in 1839, the Ordnance Survey Letters recorded it as being in good preservation and still inhabited, a testament to its solid construction and continued usefulness.

The castle underwent significant modifications during the 18th and 19th centuries, transforming it from a defensive structure into a more comfortable residence. The original ground floor entrance, a pointed doorway in the western wall complete with guardroom and spiral staircase access, was supplemented by a rather grand bow-fronted perron on the south face, providing direct access to the first floor. Two brick-vaulted chambers were inserted at ground level, whilst the fourth floor and crenellated parapet were entirely rebuilt, though the new battlements were designed to mimic early 17th-century styling. The external render, still in excellent condition today, dates from this period of renovation.

The interior layout follows a typical tower house arrangement, with a main chamber and smaller subsidiary chamber on each floor. The third floor contains some of the castle’s finest original features, including an elegant ogee-headed two-light window with mullion and transom in the east wall, externally cusped with plain spandrels, and a polished limestone fireplace with chamfered edges. Intriguingly, several of the window openings feature expanded circular bases, indicating they were adapted for gun loops; a reminder that even as late as the 17th century, defence remained a consideration. The garderobe chambers in the north wall, accessed via the window embrasures, show the careful attention to both comfort and security that characterised these fortified homes of the Irish gentry.